


Shroud me in all your Kindness

by Ankhespaten



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Romance, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Unresolved Trauma, generational curse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 72,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27801553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ankhespaten/pseuds/Ankhespaten
Summary: There was something interesting about Idia Shroud ever since the day Malleus met him in the school courtyard clad in ceremonial robes for no reason. Ever since that moment, Malleus Draconia has made it his personal mission to get to know him.  Their increased interactions lead up to Malleus being invited by Idia to take part in an important dorm event. From that point on, Malleus irrevocably falls in love with the kindness of Idia Shroud’s heart, and his beauty, hidden from the eyes of the world.Idia, although aware of Malleus’ advances and the attraction he himself feels towards the fae prince, he relies on his low self-worth hoping it would push Malleus away. When that tactic doesn’t work on Malleus and they become closer, Idia realises how deprived of companionship he’s been and starts craving any leftover bits and pieces Malleus had to offer him. Terrified of wasting other people's time,  he realises he needs to get better in order for him to be a person worthy of Malleus' company.From that point on, Idia and Malleus find love and comfort in each other as they both deal with issues that threaten not only their relationship but their futures as well.
Relationships: Malleus Draconia/Idia Shroud
Comments: 62
Kudos: 105





	1. Prologue

It was a fairly uneventful day at Night Raven College despite it being the last day of the summer semester. On top of that, it was raining heavily, so, all the open sports fields around campus were basically unusable at this point. Even if it were sunny, most of his friends would be busy with packing anyways. Disappointed, Ortho Shroud made his way back to the Ignihyde dorm, where he found his brother in the exact same place he was before first period even started today. Seated at a large, metal desk and nested comfortably in a large gaming chair, Idia Shroud was mindlessly looking at the same text file on the screen for at least a minute. More unusual than Idia not doing anything for a whole minute, was the food tray he would always have brought to his room was left with half-eaten food by the gaming chair. Something was definitely strange. Brother would never leave food like that. Especially not before a big guild meetup. He didn’t receive any health-related abnormalities during the day so, this was in itself, an abnormality.

“Big brother…I’m back.” Ortho finally said after observing the scene in front of him for a while.

Idia managed to mutter out a basic greeting, not even moving a muscle. The file in front of him was still on the screen. This was also very weird. Brother would at least turn his head and greet him. Ortho approached the desk slowly, and only then did Idia turn to face him.

“All our _Overblow_ efforts will just go to waste. It’s a catastrophe!”

“Did the computer break?”

“I wish it were that. Mother called. We are expected at the Isle for the summer.”

There was a tinge of dread in his voice particular to ends of semester. So, that was the issue. Idia hated going back to the Isle of Lamentation and tried finding many ways to get out of it. This reaction meant that something happened this time that made the challenge to avoid family duty more difficult.

“What do we DO, Ortho? We absolutely can’t go! The _Overblow_ tournament we worked so hard on is going to go to waste. Ah, this is just the worst.”

“It’s not all that bad, brother. We haven’t been back home in a while. We should go.”

“Wait, it gets worse. The Linaea are coming up on the weekend and this year the Shrouds are principal hosts, apparently.” Idia scoffed and continued speaking in a mocking voice. “I will not have my children NOT participate in the procession. Your role has been assigned and it is your duty. You will do it whether you like it or not or I’ll have you kidnapped and brought home.” Idia finally got up from his chair.

"Come ooon!The festivities only last for two days. We don’t have to stay the whole summer.”

“Even if it’s for two days I don’t want to go.” Idia pouted and crossed his arms. “It’s basically just exchanging pleasantries and small-talk with brainless NPCs. I can’t do it, Ortho. You understand, don't you?” He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him.

“It’s okay, big brother,” Ortho put his hands on Idia’s arms that were still resting on his small frame and he offered words of consolation.

“I will be with you all the time. It must be important to mom and dad to insist so much. It’s just two days. If we do our best today, we won’t have to worry about our rank falling. I’ll help you. But we absolutely need to go! Besides, it’s been six years we’ve last taken part in the Linaea! I want to go too!”

“Ortho…” Idia paused.

“If the dignitaries bother you I can blow them up with my new magical burst.” Ortho said jokingly. “Pew, pew! Like Star Rogue. Right, brother?” Idia laughed at his brother’s silly noises. 

“It’s still at home, right? Let’s play it again! I want to relive our childhood memories again, big brother.”

“Not fair. Now you’re just guilt-tripping me into going. I’ll beat your ass over and over again! Just you wait.” Idia grinned at Ortho and sat back at his desk.

Instead of starting a game as they normally would on rainy days, the two of them were deciding on a strategy for the upcoming gaming tournament, after which they spent around an hour for packing. When they made sure they brought everything, they headed to the Mirror Chamber.

Since it was already late afternoon, the Chamber was almost empty. Everyone must’ve gone in the morning. The only ones who were present were him, the Headmaster, Ortho and Malleus Draconia, although he was already halfway through the magic mirror.

“I wonder what he does during the summer”, thought Idia to himself and grabbed his brother’s hand. The headmaster cued for them to hurry up. Idia stood in front of the mirror with his eyes closed and took a deep breath. It’ll be the first time to go back ever since he enrolled in NRC. He dreaded reliving the memories attached to that joyless place and, with one reluctant step, went inside the magical mirror, with Ortho’s hand in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	2. Compassion

After an unplanned one-week overstay, and at least eleven instances of anxiety-inducing events, Idia decided he had had enough of the Isle for the next decade, so, as soon as they got approval from Crowley, him and Ortho were back to the NRC. Although there wasn’t supposed to be any traffic to and from NRC during breaks, it was just his luck that Headmaster Crowley just happened to stay on campus for the summer break, and that he needed to do some long overdue college intranet maintenance.

As he found himself in the unchanging Mirror Chamber, he remembered how grandiose and frightening it had been the first time he had come to this school as a 15-year-old. He reminisced about his cringe-inducing younger self and how he was a fool for trying to be what he wasn’t. Trying to be outgoing in the first few months of his college life turned out to be a disaster, and a painful lesson learnt. Granted, he had his fair share of issues back then that contributed to the worst possible chapter ending, but he wondered when the exact moment he decided to abandon all hope for socialisation was. At least three things came to mind, but he made the conscious effort not to bring back memories that would otherwise be better off buried and far enough that the Furies wouldn’t catch on and torment him even more than usual.

For Idia, the Mirror Chamber was in the top five places of dread. The negative associations increased with him being named Ignihyde dorm leader, when the ceremonies he was expected to participate in also increased in number. Out of them, the worst one was undoubtedly the entrance ceremony. The mere thought of standing in the middle of this very room full of judging stares caused anxiety for Idia that literally manifested in physical illness, so, he tried his very best to get out of it at any cost. He would probably send his tablet again this year. His way of doing things was, as some would put it, radical, but every time he argued how that reflects the Ignihyde spirit in its entirety, and that it was fitting for the occasion.

The remaining days of the summer holiday passed in a haze. Idia was preoccupied by a new design for Ortho’s body and the two of them were preoccupied by testing, pilot runs and brainstorming about minimising the impact of bulky parts, for starters. The overheating was a completely different issue that yet remained to be solved and it bothered Idia to no avail, but that was a worry for another day. He should change his strategy. Compartmentalising his tasks more efficiently, starting from things he could solve first was what he would usually do. However, in this case, nothing gave even the slightest notion of getting improved anytime soon. This design was taking a toll on his already unhealthy sleeping habits. It impacted him so much that he even put most of his games on hold until there was any kind of measurable progress. It seemed like he was wasting time and had this weird feeling that he had been working on it for too long, but at the same that he had just begun and that he was getting annoyed at himself for not giving results in such a short amount of time. Frustrated, he decided to rest for a while by caving in and playing a game. Ortho was already in his pod, so, there was no one who could object to him playing a game or two at this late hour. When he turned on his gaming setup the first thing he noticed was a notification from a group email summoning the dorm leaders to a meeting. He wondered why the dorm leaders would do something so unnecessary like meeting up during the summer holidays, until it dawned on him that the semester would start soon. It meant that he would be starting his third year at NRC. He was conflicted about how he felt about that. He enjoyed the freedom that came with living so far away from home, but it also brought uncertainty for the future. He thought about his options, or the lack thereof. His parents expected him to spend his fourth year back at the Isle. It would also do him good for his future plans as he wanted to go into university and study medical engineering, because all the most advanced universities were back home. That in itself wouldn’t be as bad, because a recluse like him could basically live anywhere as long as he had a stable internet connection. The problem was, though, once he returned to the Isle, either temporarily or permanently, that would also require him to take on certain societal roles the Isle required of any young man of his age. He sometimes really wished the society he was born in wasn’t so strict and controlling of one’s personal life choices, but, that was fate and who was he of all beings to go against it. The other option would be going to a less known university as far from the Isle as possible, but that would, firstly, not be a challenge at all because it would be too easy, secondly, his parents would never agree, and thirdly, the credentials from Elysium University’s were the only means for Idia to make his societal contribution the way he wanted it. Anything less than graduating from Elysium would mean game over, and that was unacceptable. A third, but the least desirable one, was to abandon everything even remotely connected to the Isle, far away from stupid traditions and norms, but, that decision carried with it a breach of a certain…contract looming over him, and whose consequences would be a fate worse than death.

His thoughts were interrupted by dull pain in his right shoulder and an overall numbness in several areas of his body. He was seated at his desk, the game he intended to play was still left in the main menu. Did he even play? He had no recollection of events that led him to this. Did he imagine it? As he was slowly getting back to his senses, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being warped through worlds. Did he just exit a magic mirror? Was everything he did prior to him waking up just a fever dream and Ortho’s new body just a concept note? He wasn’t sure so he looked at the date and time and felt relief. It’s only been a day. It’s noon-ish. Everything is under control. Today, he decided he would just play games and let his brain rest. Ortho’s new body’s design should not be rushed. This was all part of his creative process.

Except that there was a full thread of emails in his inbox and most of them included the words _entrance ceremony_ and _dorm leader meeting at 12:30, Tuesday_ in them.

The breakfast he asked for was brought to his room by the same Ignihyde student every time. After that, Idia asked for his tablet to be brought to the meeting room. As he took a spoonful of yoghurt, he checked the audio settings and moved the app on a side screen. He had to use his big screen for the _Overblow_ tournament and somehow manage to get his rankings up until the end of the event or that special prize would never be his.

Riddle was particularly annoying during the meeting. The preposterous little shit was getting all high and mighty, and it seemed that he was enjoying his role of a dorm leader too much for Idia’s liking. He was going off at Idia and pointing out violations of the rules and laws no one else but him and his dorm of lunatics adhered to. Queen of Hearts this, Queen of Hearts that. How would Riddle like Idia imposing the laws of his own guiding authority figure on him? He could bet that Riddle wouldn’t think so fondly of being compelled to the rules of the God of the Dead. Maybe he should try the same tactical approach during their next meeting... maybe.

It was annoying for Idia to have the same arguments over and over again. He was frustrated that all his good ideas were simply shut down by tech-illiterate traditionalists. Them being the same age only made it worse. No matter how hard he tried to argue that using technology to welcome new students was indeed the spirit of Ignihyde, he would just get labeled as lazy, selfish and a whole other barrage of unnecessary insults thrown at him by the likes of Riddle. They were getting to him and he felt his shifting mood going further down, so he just said something along the lines of “If you’re going to keep insulting me like this, I’m out. _”_ before he disconnected. _It’s not rage-quitting_ , he said. _It’ just to protect any sanity I have left_.

He was right. A day of indulging in his favourite things did help to reset his brain. The tournament was also going better than expected, because half the dorm was also participating.

Meanwhile, in the Ignihyde lab, him and Ortho were working on the new design. He managed to solve some previous issues but the overheating issue was still a conundrum. He thought it nonsensical to sacrifice the sleek design for the more practical tech upgrades. He knew he could do both. He wasn’t some simple tinker from the town of Algea. He was a Shroud. As cursed as they were, his family really did make the greatest tech so he had standards to live up to.

Ortho was always very helpful in the brainstorming process. This time was no exception. His idea was to put the parts that would overheat around the waist so that air could flow easier and that they could be masked with a hood that resembled the ceremonial robes. Idia was thrilled and praised his little brother. He started talking to himself about the new design, sketches, hood positions etc and was about to open his design software when Ortho asked a favour.

“When you finish this new body, I would like to go with you to the entrance ceremony. Together. We will be in matching outfits, so I thought…”

Idia froze. Take part in the entrance ceremony? With him? Surrounded by people?

Ortho continued. “I want to take a picture with brother in the Mirror Chamber. We couldn’t when you first enrolled, right?”

He noticed Idia’s lowered gaze and a soft whisper. “With me…but me…going outside…”

Ortho was disappointed. “So, it’s a no?”

 _Of course it’s a no!_ he thought, but one glance at Ortho’s disappointed facial expression made him reconsider his reply. Could he be strong enough to do something nice for his little brother that wouldn’t just involve technical upgrades? Although going to the ceremony was nerve-wrecking and scary, maybe just this once, he could be a normal brother for Ortho’s sake. It was scary but, he was willing to try. 

“It’s not…but…I don’t want you to get hyped up too much, in case I…”

“Understood! Thank you, big brother!!”

The next four days were spent on building, designing and engraving the elaborate ornaments on the new body. The final tests and analyses were showing good results, and Ortho was also pleased with his new body. Idia had a few more dorm-leader meetings during the week. The first one after his _rage quit_ was the most dreaded one, but he was pleasantly surprised when Azul apologised to him in the name of the others. Idia knew that no one had truly meant it, but he was grateful for his board-game buddy taking his side. After that, the meetings went well, and Idia just went with everything that was the majority vote.

One day, there was a knock on the door. Idia, being busy with a part that needed upgrades, had his hands full and didn’t think about checking his door cams. He assumed it was Ortho because, who else would come to his room, he called for him. He was surprised that the voice on the outside was actually Riddle. Why the hell was he here?

Riddle cut to the chase and told Idia that he had to come to the meeting at all costs as the entrance ceremony was in a week and that Crowley ordered he had to make an appearance, even if he had to be collared, leashed and dragged to the dorm leader room.

“You and Malleus are the only ones not showing up for the meetings!” he said, annoyed.

So, he wasn’t alone? That was a relief to hear. Maybe Malleus Draconia was a kindred spirit. Maybe Idia could propose an alliance. That would be hilarious. Two of them, boycotting the ridiculous meetings like a pair of best buddies. He should make a webcomic about that.

Idia, in his last efforts of being understood, tried the honesty approach with Riddle. He tried to explain that attending the meeting in person would be too much for him. Unfortunately, once again, he met with resistance, and arguing. He wished people around him were less judging. He wished that, for once in his life, his crippling anxiety and a range of other deep-rooted issues would not be taken as laziness and that he wouldn’t be attacked over something he had a hard time controlling on an uneventful day. Of course, it would be foolish of him to expect compassion or even understanding from anyone, especially from Riddle.

“You’re a dorm leader. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable!”

Ah, there it was. The dorm leader argument. Coming from Riddle, it was even more annoying. Just because Riddle personally was enjoying his new position did not necessarily mean that others did. Having someone’s different values forced on him was one of his biggest pet peeves. Besides, it wasn’t like Idia chose to be a dorm leader anyways. He was hoping that he could spend all his years of college as far from the others’ eyes as possible. But then Crowley decided to appoint him for the role out of the blue without any room for negotiation. “Embodying the spirit of Ignihyde” and whatnot. Despite Idia’s pleas, Crowley would not budge. “A dorm leader is a duty, not a privilege, Idia. And a duty must be done whether we like it or not.” were his exact words. He still remembers them clearly to this day.

Although he could only dread his circumstances, Idia was aware that being the dorm leader was fate as well and that he could not defy it. What he could was find clever ways to circumvent around it, so being called out by Riddle as being irresponsible hurt. He did his best to participate in everything they planned, what did it matter whether it was through a tablet? The outsider like Riddle could never understand anything about him, Ignihyde nor about the struggles of people like him.

“That’s why everyone thinks you’re a nuisance. The least you could do is help with the preparations.”

Angered by this statement, Idia was very sassy towards Riddle in the beginning, but as soon as he realized that this fight was going nowhere, he decided to back down. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Riddle was even more enraged, to the extent that he was now furiously banging on the door and demanding Idia let him in. He was thinking about engaging his defensive door drones to chase him away, but that would be violating the concept of hospitality in his culture and it would unnecessarily invite the wrath of the gods. Too bad the gods didn’t account for the guests being complete disasters when they rolled out their punishments. 

Then, all of a sudden, Riddle involved Ortho in the discussion. Although he was right, Idia didn’t like that he was being accused of dumping his obligations to his little brother. Everything Riddle said after that felt like every word was an additional weight put on his chest.

“Besides, you’re not even going to participate in the ceremony anyways, are you?” He continued. “Are you going to have him do the greetings as well? Oh, poor irresponsible dorm leader, being asked to do his job! Woe is me!”

Idia finally snapped. The frustration that was building up from the start of their…interaction came to its peak. Idia completely blacked out and shouted the most unlikely sentence.

“I never said I wasn’t going to participate! This time, I will!”, which was soon shut down by Riddle’s dismissive “Why are you proudly saying such a basic thing? I’m done with you”.

Idia decided not to engage with Riddle anymore, so he was about to put on some loud music. In the end he didn’t have to, because he saw Riddle walking away on the door cam.

This entire exchange had been a train wreck and that’s not what he needed today. He did contemplate going to spite them all, but then he decided against it. Because, in the end, it didn’t even matter if he went or not. He sent his tablet anyways and this meeting was the almost the same as previous ones, with the exception in the amount of snark coming from Riddle almost tripling.

At times like this, he wondered why he couldn’t engage with his peers without stress. Why there wasn’t anyone among them with the slightest intention of understanding what was going on with him? It was clear as day that he wasn’t well. Why was it that you get sympathy and compassion for when you’re physically unwell, but not when something’s wrong with your psyche? This hypocrisy was one of the most frustrating things ever since he started NRC. It angered him that the people he interacted with the most were a bunch of self-absorbed assholes who only knew how to throw insults when they didn’t have their way? Before he turned on a game to drown this episode out, he wondered whether there was someone else in this school helplessly hurting like he was and if there was, how were they coping? Was there going to be any overblots this year? Was he going to be one of them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	3. Encounter

On the day of the ceremony, Idia was restless. He’s had doubts about being able to keep his promise. As he looked at himself in the mirror for the first time in a long time, he felt uncomfortable with his own exposed image. The stiff robes looming over him above the mirror only increased his discomfort. Without his usual baggy clothes on, he could see everything wrong about him. His hair was too long to be appropriate for any ceremonial setting. It added insult to injury by being especially uncontrollable today. His overall demeanour was hideous. His posture too crooked and his frame too bony. His face too tired. His hands too thin. Everything about him was wrong. Wrong and unworthy to be shown to the outside world. One glance at him and everybody would know. He wished the earth opened up below his feet and swallowed him whole right on the spot. Ortho, on the other hand, was a stark contrast. He was a beacon of joy, flying around their room and humming, and was overall impatient to go to the ceremony, which would start in 40 minutes. He was so impatient, in fact, that he decided to go ahead of Idia.

Ortho rushing ahead felt like a betrayal. Although Idia knew it was his own fault for stalling for so long. He became painfully aware that the last ounce of courage he mustered had flown out through the same door with Ortho. But a promise is a promise, and just this once, he will sacrifice his comfort and convenience for the sake of his little brother. Just this once, he will not fail epically. Just this once, Ortho will be proud of him.

Casting a long glance on the ceremonial robes, he finally took them off the hanger. First came the black and gold embroidered buttoned shirt. The satin felt smooth on Idia’s skin, but at the same time it always felt inexplicably uncomfortable to him, like someone was dripping some kind of slimy substance. He started buttoning it up but as his hands were moving around, the cold feel of the satin was becoming a bit too much for him to bear. It was just his luck that he did the buttons all wrong, so, undoing them once again, he decided to put on a long-sleeved top beneath the shirt. Idia was really bad with buttons. Five or six he could handle, but this shirt was a challenge every time because the imposing sense of stress that came with a ceremony made his hands shake uncontrollably. When the shirt was finally on, he stepped back to look at himself again. As he moved around a bit, testing the fit, he realised that the shirt was all wrong. Even with an extra layer of clothing, the it was just a tad too loose around the shoulders. Had he lost weight? It wasn’t too long that he wore the robes, so this was strange. Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe it just got deformed during the cleaning process, or he was given someone else’s by mistake. Whatever the reason for it not fitting, there was no more time to worry about it. He was hoping that the robes would cover up the sorry state he was seeing in the mirror.

The trousers came next, but before that, he put on a pair of tights to protect himself from the cold satin. Having his doubts because of the shirt, he checked the label with his dorm name and initials. These were most definitely his trousers. And yet, they felt too loose the moment he put them on. This was concerning. Idia stepped away from the mirror so he could set reminders for him to get a health scan after the ceremony’s over. He should definitely not be losing weight with his current lifestyle. He was close to doing a full-body scan right this instant, but one look at the clock told him that he wasted too much time and that there was less than 20 minutes left until the beginning of the ceremony. He searched his closet for anything that resembled a belt, then he moved on to the robes. The trickiest part of the attire was adjusting the robe belt even with steady hands, so, this was a struggle for Idia. He was never happy with how his ceremonial robes looked, but he had no more time, and no one else to call for help since everyone from the dorm was probably already at the Mirror Chamber. This had to do. Finally, he attached his magical pen holder on the robes, moving it ever so slightly under the robes so the pen stone, or, the lack thereof, wouldn’t be seen by other professors. Putting on his ceremonial shoes, Idia took a deep breath and stepped out of his room.

Idia arrived at the Mirror Chamber 13 minutes before starting time. He was standing on the side entrance not many people used, and was looking inside, reluctant to go through the door. The first thing he noticed was the number of people already present and he immediately felt as if he were punched in the stomach. He tried to praise himself on being able to come this far, and that he could do this. However, before trying to step in, the cacophony of voices coming him brought back vivid flashbacks of ceremonies he was forced to attend when he was younger. He knew that the minute he stepped inside that eyes would be on him, and it would set tongues wagging _._ Adults would usually say things like: _Who’s that? Is his hair on fire? Isn’t he the one from the cursed Shroud family? Stay away, or misfortune will fall onto you!_ The children were worse. They would comment on how _blue and sickening_ he looked, and, on the best of days there wouldn’t be anything flying at him, he would only be poked with a stick. The rational part of Idia knew that he was no longer a child and that chances of that happening at NRC were zero, however, the irrational part of him would always overpower the rational one, and just before he started dreading his decision to come to the ceremony, he put all his efforts into calming himself down. Ortho was still nowhere to be found, but he had a bit more time, so he stepped into the courtyard adjoint to the Mirror Chamber.

The courtyard was quiet and empty. So quiet that not even the wind was blowing. Everything looked like a frozen frame. The sun had just set, so the night sky wasn’t yet as dark and he could see the courtyard fairly clear. Luckily, the courtyard was small enough that Idia didn’t feel dread from being outside. As a way to calm down, Idia paced around. _When I calm down I will go and look for Ortho._ _When I go into the Mirror Chamber next, Ortho will be there by my side. I will go to that chamber and do my best. I can do that for an hour. For Ortho. Then we’ll take a photo together. It shouldn’t be that difficult. I can do it._

His pep talk was interrupted by a voice calling his name. It wasn’t any voice he recognised, so all the calming down he did just got reset to zero.

“Is that you, Shroud? Oh, it is! How peculiar.”

Turning around, Idia saw a most unlikely character standing in front of him. Malleus Draconia wasn’t here a moment ago. He was surrounded by faerie-like specks of yellow light. _He…teleported here. He definitely teleported. That’s such a cool ability to have_. Idia wished he could teleport and disappear from this place right here and now. He’s had enough of social interactions in the previous week to last a whole year. Idia was thinking about ways to escape this situation, but the imposing horned figure of THE Malleus Draconia made him stop in his tracks and freeze. It wasn’t because Malleus was frightening. Well, there was that too, but what was even more frightening were the implications if he were to run away without a word. Angering the fae is never good. There’s literally a whole horror series on the topic explaining why that’s a bad idea. No, no. He will be civil. This is just a side-quest. He will engage in small talk. Lucky for him, Malleus was the one trying to keep the conversation going.

“I haven’t seen you since you became a dorm leader.”

Malleus looked at Idia who was trying to avoid eye contact at all cost and was also not giving any reply.

“And being outside at that! What are you doing here?”

“Me…? I…I…” Words weren’t coming out of Idia’s mouth. He was uncomfortable. Was he being questioned? Why was he being questioned? He didn’t know how to reply, because he himself also didn’t know, so he said the first thing that came to his mind that he thought sounded like ordinary people would say.

“I wanted to get outside. Just like you…”

“Just like me?” Malleus chuckled. “I see…wanting to be distracted from tension, that is.”

“Distracted?!”

“You want to lose yourself in here, no?” Malleus’ face was too close in Idia’s personal space. If this were a dating sim, this scene would absolutely be brilliant. A handsome stranger stumbling upon the distressed heroine in a deserted place, and by the virtue of their meeting making everything better. Unfortunately, since Idia wasn’t a heroine, nor was he the main character in anyone’s story, everything about this scene was uncanny.

“Looking at the scenery, feeling the air, fall in reverie. Relax.”

Idia got lost in his thought that he only heard the last part of Malleus’ sentence, and it didn’t make any sense so, confused, he blurted out his first reaction.

“Relax?! This here is the pinnacle of stress!”

Malleus chuckled again. This man was really interesting. He was nothing like other humans he met. He didn’t run away immediately so, that was an improvement. “Is that so? Then you should find ways to enjoy the world around you without stress. Take it easy, and it may work.”

“Enjoy?! Of course, coming from big-shot Malleus who’s on a whole other level but…” Idia started mumbling something to himself.

“Hm? What?”

“Um..n..no, n..n..nothing. Forget about it. But I…I promised I would wear these robes today. So, that’s why I’m like this…but I’m freaking out, to be honest.”

“I see. May I ask, is there any meaning behind your wearing of those robes?”

“What?” Idia had a confused look on his face. The gods must be pulling some stupid prank on him. Malleus must know what today is. An important figure like him should definitely be in the entrance ceremony. On top of that, he wasn’t wearing his robes. What was going on? He did avoid dorm leader meetings, but surely, he must’ve known the date. Malleus was just messing with him. He will magically conjure up his robes any minute now and laugh at how stupid he looked. He’s sure. The punchline was coming. Any second now.

“What?” Malleus replied in the same confused matter.

“Well…the reason…oh, they don’t suit me, do they? I…I…Am I being weird?” Idia raised both of his arms, observing the bell sleeves.

“That’s not what I’m saying. It’s not that they don’t suit you. They absolutely do. But…the issue remains. If you asked me if it were ‘weird’ for you to be wearing them right here and now, then the answer would be…yes.”

A sigh of defeat left Idia’s mouth and as he averted his gaze, he put the ceremonial robe hood on, hoping that small piece of cloth would offer some protection from the world’s, and Malleus’ gaze.

“First of all, why did you promise to go out dressed in that way, without a reason?”

“Well, Mr Malleus, to you there might not be one, but for me…I…”

Idia was just about to go full OOC and offer his reasoning to his schoolmate, when he was interrupted by a somewhat rude observation.

“Humans indeed do pointless things often. That’s not uninteresting.” Lost in thought, Malleus said it out loud, although that was not his intention. He sensed sadness from Idia and tried to explain what he meant.

“Pointless…”

“It’s not that I’m making fun of you, no. It leaves me with a lot to think about.”

Idia started shifting from one leg to another, eager to get as far away from this setting. He couldn’t shake off the sickening feeling in his stomach whenever he felt glares and judgments on him. It would always feel like a dark boulder over his head waiting to fall and crush him on the spot.

“You definitely are. You definitely are. I knew it! I’m not just some vessel in fancy clothes standing here for people to gawk at! This is indeed pointless like getting multiple bad endings, or having a multitude of guaranteed bad paths, or like…I…I…”

“Shroud? What happened all of a sudden?” Malleus approached Idia and was about to grab him by his shoulders as a way of offering consolation and because he thought his robed schoolmate would faint, but Idia backed out in an instant and started getting farther away as he said “N..nothing! Don’t mind me.”

Two hands approaching him were his cue to run away. Idia’s body moved unconsciously and ran across the courtyard, as far away from that place as possible, leaving the confused Malleus behind.

“He ran away…He is such a peculiar man…Wearing ceremonial robes while going for a walk.”

Malleus lingered for a few moments after Idia had run away. What an interesting man, that Shroud was. Malleus was curious about what kind of promise required him to wear a ceremonial robe for a walk. Was there something going on without him noticing? What was the promise, and to whom? He tried to think of his own answers but, he realised that, apart from the basics, he knew nothing about Idia Shroud, even though they’ve been in this school together for three years. He knew that he was close to his little brother and that they are counted as one student, and that he never came to flying lessons, at least not when his class had a joint lesson with 3-B. He would sometimes see him in other joint classes, but most often, it was his…whatever that was that let him take the class from the comfort of his own room.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of another fiery-blue-haired silhouette coming from the direction of the Mirror Chamber and flying through the exterior corridor surrounding the courtyard. He realized it was the little Shroud and that he was not wearing the usual white suit, but a dark violet-black one akin to the ceremonial robes. The little Shroud was too fast, so Malleus couldn’t really confirm the resemblance. However, if that was the case, he got the answers to some of his questions. Was this the beginning of a familial discord? Was it fraternal love? Oh, how he wished he could see their interaction and to find out what Shroud was like in a family setting. But alas, he heard other voices coming from the Mirror chamber so, out of habit, he disappeared again so as not to scare everyone. He stopped by the abandoned dormitory along the way as he would every night, and after a while returned to Diasomnia.

▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲

Rushing into his room, Idia shut and physically locked the door behind him.

 _I was right_. he thought. “ _There’s nothing for me outside but bad events._

Before he could focus on himself, he turned on the stream for his tablet and let his vice-dorm-leader AI to guide the entrance ceremony. Idia was so mentally exhausted that he couldn’t speak, not even through the tablet.

Idia’s heart was racing, and he was overwhelmed by everything that was happening. He was sensing a panic attack coming, hoping it wouldn’t be a major one this time. He must calm down as soon as possible so as not to alert Ortho’s built-in heart monitor and beckon him to return during the entrance ceremony he looked forward to so much. He already broke his promise, he couldn’t afford to ruin the ceremony even further. He did as he always would in times like this. He lay in his bed sideways and put on his headphones. Drowning out the stimuli from his surroundings would usually help him calm down. Just to be dramatic, he called it “drowning out the sounds of this stupid world”. He turned on a calming lo-fi render of his favourite series’ soundtrack and as his mind and body were calming down, he analysed prior events in a somewhat rational manner. Once again, he was terrified of the Mirror Chamber, and the glares aimed at his way. His early experiences of ceremonies and people’s gazes that would more often than not culminate into bodily harm for him were the trigger this time. Although he was far removed from the Isle right now, he couldn’t shake off such lifelong fears and he thought how this outcome was the best possible one. If he hadn’t removed himself from the situation, he would’ve embarrassed himself in front of the entire student body, and such disgraceful behaviour would definitely break Ortho’s heart. He did the good thing by sparing his brother witness such a train wreck. 

“I’m different from humans, and Mr Malleus who can do stuff like that. Why have I forgotten? But, this is fine, I was able to realise that it was impossible before embarrassing myself It’s all well. I did it. I did get the best route by auto selecting. Ortho must be enjoying the entrance ceremony to its fullest. He was looking forward to it so much. This is fine.”

While he was listening to calming music, he didn’t notice that Ortho was standing in front of his door and apologising.

▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲

It was only when Malleus returned to his dorm that he realised the reason that there was commotion all day was the entrance ceremony. The flushed faces of new students strutting around the dorm in ceremonial robes were clear proof of that. How could he have missed the entrance ceremony? The time of the year is just right. There must have been dorm-leader meetings. Was he not invited again? For none of them? Did Shroud also know? Did he go and actively engage in its organisation?

After a brief interaction in the commons with Lilia, Silver and a new student who apparently had an obsession with him, Malleus returned to his room. Lilia wanted to speak to him in private and probably give him some consolation, but he wanted to be left alone. This whole realisation was disappointing since it was already his third year, and he had not managed to get closer to humans in the slightest. He was failing his queen and the task she bestowed on him. He lied to his kin that he didn’t care and that he wasn’t mad for not receiving an invitation, only realising now that he lied to himself first and foremost. It hurt. He was wondering what made everyone so scared of him. Was it the horns? Was it his height? He did remember Diamond telling him once he had an otherworldly aura, and, although that may be the general perception, he was frustrated that there wasn’t anyone in two whole years that would even try to get close to him. He was tired of failed interactions and his loneliness. Unlike him, there were individuals in this school that could handle being alone all the time. The most striking and notorious example of it was the man he just had an interaction with.

His mind shifted to Idia Shroud. Malleus could sense a lot of grief coming from him even in such a short span of time. The image of Shroud trembling in that courtyard was akin to a trapped animal waiting for death. In Malleus, it caused a kind sadness which would cause someone to put all their efforts to help the one who was hurt and shelter them from more harm. He wondered whether Shroud had always been like that or did something much more sinister push him to become the unapproachable individual he was?

Malleus scoffed at his own thoughts. An unapproachable individual? Ironic, coming from him. Malleus stopped in his tracks. What if he wasn’t? What if Malleus was just projecting his own experience onto Shroud? What if he was as alone as Malleus, just because of the aura they’ve been giving off? Would it be possible for them to form a friendship on such a basis? If not, would he at least be able to analyse the Isle of Lamentation as a whole and place it in an ally/enemy category for the Valley? This was a new challenge for Malleus. Starting tomorrow, he would try to interact with Idia Shroud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	4. Enthusiasm

Malleus’ plan to interact with Idia Shroud was completely shattered on the first day. It’s already been two weeks since he decided on it, but Shroud was nowhere to be found, and the lack of joint classes with 3-B limited the opportunity for interaction even further. In addition, the school started buzzing about the Magift tournament and Malleus was also looking forward to it. It was his favourite school event and every year, he would start preparing the moment he knew the season’s start date.

Yet again, he wasn’t invited to the Magift dorm-leader meeting. He was annoyed that they completely left him out and proceeded with the decision making. There were also some inconsistencies in what Crowley had offered him, then retracted, and Malleus suspected it was because of something discussed with him away. He couldn’t care less about being in the hall of fame or earning empty accolades others found more important than life itself but being excluded to the point of it seeming intentional angered and saddened Malleus at the same time. He had Lilia find out the details of application and then Malleus took it upon himself to deliver the documentation personally. Apparently, all paperwork was being handled by Octavinelle’s leader. Sebek, being the humble servant he was, insisted on being the one delivering the documents, but Malleus had to do it in person. If not, he would never be able to ask about his exclusion. So, he headed to the Mostro Lounge one fine Tuesday evening after classes. Unfortunately, he was told that the owner would be coming in an hour due to extracurricular activities and that Malleus was more than welcome to enjoy Mostro’s hospitality as much as he wanted. Since Malleus wasn’t very good with restaurants and similar establishments, as the wary eyes of other guests would always make him feel less welcome. He thanked one of the twins, he couldn’t know which one, and took his leave. On his way out, that same twin added: “If you’re in a hurry, Azul will be in the board game club. 4th floor, Raven’s classroom 7.

With a bow, Malleus left the lounge and headed to the place of instruction. Passing through the Octavinelle mirror, he soon found himself in the Hall. Since he didn’t know the exact place of the board game club, he decided to walk instead of teleporting. When he arrived to his destination, he was immediately amused because he could hear a heated discussion from the other side of the half-open door.

“It’s bullshit. I do not accept your penalty.”

“I am the game master for this session, Shroud. Suck it up.”

“I would if your decision was factually backed up. You cannot say that it’s impossible to take a dagger out of a gargoyle! Because you absolutely can.”

Malleus jumped at the mention of the word, so he got closer, his curiosity piqued. He also observed the members. The elusive Shroud was sitting with his back turned to the door, a Scarabia student in front of him, and what resembled to be a sleeve of Azul’s uniform was on the right, although the rest was obscured by the door. The Scarabia student was the one Shroud was having a spat with.

“My decision as game master is final. We are moving on.”

“Like hell we are! I object to your competence as a GM.”

Azul felt like a parent of two toddlers in a middle of a tantrum. He took a deep breath to calm down as much as possible before even trying to engage in any discussion with those two temperamental idiots. Running the Mostro lounge, he had his fair share of disagreements among staff, so he was well-versed in breaking up fights. However, since neither of them were his employees, nor did he have any leverage over them, he was considering his options. He personally agreed with Idia, but the first-year that’s joined the club three weeks ago had the potential to become a professional player and getting in the good graces of such an individual could prove useful for the future. Torn between the two outcomes, finally spoke.

“Idia, it’s just one point.”

“One point, or ten, or a thousand, it’s a matter of principle. I’ve said the same thing last week as well, but none of you bothered to do any research.” Idia angrily raised a piece of paper and waved it around.

“Gargoyles are basically for water drainage. They have openings for stuff to come out. Therefore, you can hide stuff inside. See? This part here.” Idia made an angry gesture while pointing at something on paper.

“You could’ve just made that up and presented it as facts for all I care. I am the game master and my decision is final. There will be no rerolls for completed outcomes this far up in the campaign.”

But Idia didn’t stop. He dropped the paper he was holding, which fell on the floor and took another one from a clear file from the chair his bag was on, waving it in the same manner. When the dropped piece of paper landed, Malleus saw a pretty detailed drawing of a gargoyle from different angles.

“Made it up? Are you being serious? Didn’t you guys ever read _Claws and paws_ as children? This one, see…is a completely different thing. It’s just a decoration. It’s similar in shape and design but it has no slits or anything. I couldn’t hide anything in it even if I tried. I accept the one point penalty, but a reroll is a decent compensation for your incompetence, Zayn.”

“Rerolls don’t work retroactively, you propane-head dimwit. It’s against the RULES.” This time the Scarabia student waved a booklet in Idia’s face.

“Hey! That’s enough, both of you! We’re scrapping the campaign.” Azul chimed in. “There’s no point in continuing if you’re both going to act like children.” Both Idia and Zayn looked at Azul, ignored him and continued.

“You as a game master have the freedom to interpret the rules in any way you want, and that’s on you, sure. But if you’re alerted to a discrepancy you ought to exercise your due diligence and be creative enough to go around it. That’s why you’ve been ranking poorly in tournaments, _Iridescent Shadow_!”

“I will not take advice from someone who’s never GMd at a real venue.” The Scarabia student pointed a finger at Idia, as if he were threatening him. “Stop acting all high and mighty when your only goal is to get me to let you reroll. Not happening.”

“Oh, for all the gods’ sake!” Idia put his hands on his head and sighed.

“You are missing the point! Reroll aside, I am trying to tell you what you’re doing wrong in your approach so you can fix it and get better. Since everything is open to interpretation you could have added a circumstantial penalty for a new roll. I would’ve accepted it hands down. Anyone would. Like, the dagger was flushed out by the princess’ bathwater, stolen by fairies, my assassin having a fever dream and there was no dagger in the first place. These kinds of options keep the game going. Saying _no, you get a penalty because I’m the game master and I said so_ doesn’t. It only makes you sound like an inexperienced brat. You _need to_ understand that if you really want to go pro. I don’t have to be a GM to know that.”

“Ok, fine. I get it. Thank you for your valuable feedback.” The reply was obviously bitter and sarcastic, but it was better than nothing. This was most of an apology either of them would give to one another.

“So, ok, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. What you said about gargoyles today is correct.”

“It was correct last week too, by the way…”

Idia was interrupted by a hearty laugh coming from the door. All of a sudden, the entire board-game club fell in deep silence. Azul got up to see who was at the door, and a moment later Malleus Draconia stepped inside the board game room. Noticing he was the centre of attention, he felt awkward, but, he also knew that it would be common courtesy to say his greetings to the members whose peace he disturbed.

“How interesting!” He exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. “Forgive me, I never intended to eavesdrop on your argument, nor interrupt you, in any way, but this was too amusing, I couldn’t help myself, and for that, I apologise.”

Thankful for the distraction, Azul shook Malleus’ hand and invited him to take a seat inside.

He briefly waved his hand towards Idia, presumably to let him know to take his bag off the chair, because that’s exactly what Idia did. The bag was now lying on the floor next to his right leg.

“You are not interrupting. We were just wrapping up, weren’t we?” said Azul. He wanted to ask the Diasomnia leader for the reason of his visit, but what had the potential to be a great source of entertainment was more important, so, he kept quiet and observed the interaction between Malleus and Idia.

On his way to the empty seat, Malleus picked up the fallen gargoyle drawing from a moment ago and handed it to Idia as he sat down. Idia nodded his head awkwardly in place of a proper thank you. Whether intentional on Malleus’ part or not, their eyes met for a brief second the moment Malleus said “beautiful”. Idea was about to comment something, but he froze. Was he being complimented? Was Malleus Draconia _flirting?!_ With the likes of _him,_ of all people?! What was going on?! What do you DO at a time like this?

Malleus noticed the confusion on Idia’s face, and soon realized how this was an awkward situation for humans, so he tried to explain.

“Gargoyles. Your drawings. Really beautiful.”

Idia could barely speak. He remembered their encounter on the entrance ceremony day and he still felt inexplicable shame from that day and how he was so stressed that he literally ran away mid-conversation. _Just say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you._ He was rehearsing in his head. Despite the effort, it still came out as a broken file. Sometimes, he wished that he could at least do the most basic things in real time.

For Malleus, this dramatic shift in temperament was the most intriguing thing he witnessed about Shroud. One moment he was having a full-scale argument, and the next he was completely timid. Oh, now he must try to get to know him better! He must understand as many humans as he could. He’s only got one year left.

“Idia was kind enough to draw these for today’s session.” Azul joined the conversation, pointing at the drawings. “It was quite the argument, as you witnessed. But hopefully, we’ve sorted it out. Right?”

Idia and Zayn looked at Azul, then each other. Idia nodded but Zayn, shrugged. Azul sighed and adjusted his glasses while giving both of them a death glare.

“Well, if I might add to your discussion…” Malleus spoke first after the awkward silence that followed.

“Now, I do not know the rules of your game, but, the part about gargoyles Shroud said”, Malleus glanced at Idia as he said his name. “is absolutely true. If you want to learn more, with real examples around our school, you are cordially invited to my Gargoyle Research Society every Thursday evening. In human time… from 5 p.m.”

Idia looked at Zayn and raised both of his hands in what seemed to be a _I told you_ gesture.

“Thank you for your input, Malleus, and your kind invitation. We, the board game club will gladly accept it. Now, moving on. I bet it’s important as Malleus Draconia himself came all this way. You two, be kind and clean up, won’t you? I have business to discuss here”

Idia picked up the boardgame box and the lid as he got up from the desk. “I didn’t know you were branching out the Mostro lounge to the boardgame club, Azul.”, he commented with a grin on his face. Just as Idia was to step away he spoke, Malleus also got up from the table. His eyes met with Idia’s, but once again, it lasted for less than a moment. Then he looked at Azul and continued. “Maybe we should speak in private, Ashengrotto.” Azul nodded. The two of them stepped away to the back of the board game room. Malleus initiated the conversation about the Magift tournament and voiced his concerns about not being included in the decision-making process as he handed in the application file to Ashengrotto. The issue of Malleus not being invited became a point for discussion and Azul thought of ways to utilize it for his own business and even tried to go as far to make a deal with Malleus Draconia, but was met with resistance.

Meanwhile, Idia was still seated at the table wiping the game pieces they used with a soft dry cloth, as he would after every session. When you looked at him from afar, he was the embodiment of focus. There was truly something endearing in looking at people being passionate about something. Malleus wondered whether anyone would find him and his gargoyle obsession endearing one day.

Speaking of gargoyles, Malleus excused himself and thanked Azul for accepting his Magift registration. On his way out, he approached Idia Shroud once again and asked about the drawings. Idia, startled by this unexpected interaction, dropped a game piece he was holding. Luckily, it fell into the box. In order to cover up the embarrassment of dropping something, he started looking around for the drawings.

“Drawings…? W…what about them?” Idia found them under the game board and awkwardly picked them up, for the lack of a better response.

“Pardon my impropriety, Shroud, but I was wondering if you have no more use for them, could I have them?”

Idia’s lowered gaze shifted upward towards Malleus for a brief moment, the drawings still in his hand. His face was definitely asking “Why?” but no words were spoken. Malleus figured it would be better to offer an explanation before waiting for a response.

“You see, I would love to have such detailed drawings in my research society’s room. For any new members that might come, to use as reference.”

“N..no.” Idia tried elaborating on his reasoning, but words wouldn’t come.

“No?”

Idia took out something out of his bag and typed away. In a moment, the machine spoke in his voice. Fascinating.

“These are just rough sketches. If you want them as something useful, I’ll draw you better ones. I can’t have mediocre stuff attached to my name.”

 _How presumptuous of him_ , Malleus thought. _Mediocre_? But it was not a ‘no’ anymore, so Malleus was content with that.

“Oh, you would, Shroud? Truly?”

“As long as you’re willing to pick them up from Ignihyde.”

“If this is an inconvenience for you, do not feel obliged to draw anything. For me, these ones are just as wonderful.”

“Friday”, Said Idia, not the tablet.

“What was that?”

“Any time after Friday. Come at any time.” He switched to the tablet one more time.

“Splendid! Thank you. I will reward you; you need just name it.”

Idia smiled awkwardly as he tried to challenge himself and look at Malleus, at least once, but then he remembered how everyone reacted to his creepy gaze, and how that would probably make Malleus uncomfortable. Instead, he returned his focus back on wiping the game pieces. In the corner of his eye, he saw Malleus Draconia’s tall frame leaving the board game club.

Not even a second passed, and Azul was already next to him. The boardgame room was now empty except the two of them.

“That could’ve been such a great business opportunity, dear Idia. I say you split the profits of Draconia’s ‘reward’ with your team-mates.”

“Since Zayn already left, you mean you, right. Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not planning to ask for anything. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll order takeout tonight from the Lounge. Deal?”

“Grateful for the order. But Idia, why won’t you ask for anything? You know that it’s never a good thing for the artist to give art for free? It hurts the industry. Besides, aren’t you a bit curious what you can get from Draconia?”

“I’m not an artist, Azul. I just…I don’t know. There’s no reason.”

Although there was. The guilt of running away during the entrance ceremony compelled him to do something nice, to make up for his annoying behaviour, and if it was possible in any way to have at least one more person in this school not hating him.

Him and Azul went back together to the Hall of Mirrors together, their conversation filled with friendly banter for the whole duration, most of it being board-game related. All of a sudden, Azul changed the topic.

“So, you crushing on Malleus since last year had no effect whatsoever on your decision to give out free stuff, is what you’re saying?”

"What's that all of a sudden? I have never..."

"Mhm."

“I know what you're trying to do. I never crushed on him! I just said I would like to have someone like that if he were a gacha card, and then you created your own narrative out of that!”

“Mhm."

"What?"

"Nothing. I’ve seen how awkward you are around him.”

“I’m awkward around everyone!”

"Mhm."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" 

Azul was right in front of the Octavinelle mirror before he said it. 

"See you, Idia."

Before Idia said goodbye, Azul was already half-way into the mirror. 

_What was that weird conversation right now?_

Entering his room, Idia sat at his desk, ordered the promised Mostro Lounge takeout and took a deep breath.

Well, he had some unplanned drawing to do before his guild meeting at midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	5. Invitation

It was Saturday aftenoon when Malleus came to Ignihyde to pick up his gargoyle drawings, albeit a day later. The common room looked extremely hectic, with a dozen students carrying different items around, including Idia and Ortho Shroud, who were carrying drinks and cake.

“Oh my, it seems to me that preparations for some sort of celebration are under way, Shroud?”

“Yes! This, Mr. Malleus” said Idia with a wide grin as he waved a blue box with some disc inside in front of the other man’s face, which startled him. If he weren't inside someone else's dorm, defensive magic would've started flying around.

“Is the finale of the _Overblow_ film series!”

Malleus was confused. He had never heard of anything with such an absurd name. On the other hand, how could he? He didn’t know anything about films or _overblows_ or whatever. Seeing the uproar around him, he figured it was a big deal. If not to all humans, at least to the ones from Ignihyde.

“This is the director’s cut!” Idia picked up something from the nearby counter.

“Only four more people in the world have this! So, we are celebrating. It took the entire dorm and months of careful planning and gaming in order to rank above a million points to be eligible to apply for a random draw. But we did it, and we won in the draw so, it’s a cause for celebration. I am streaming this film for all the dorm students to see! We are having a watch party. After that, we will put the limited-edition figurines here in the Commons.”

“Sounds important. Then, don’t let me crash your little celebration.”

Idia was about to say something but he completely froze. Instead, the little Shroud spoke.

“Malleus Draconia should stay too! We also have ice-cream cake.”

“Ice-cream cake, you say. Well, alright then. I would be glad to stay, if you’ll have me.”

Both of them nodded, and Malleus smiled at Idia, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes, but to no avail. This man was so shy and intriguing at the same time, and the more Malleus got to see him, the more he wanted to get to know him. On the topic of invitation, Malleus wondered why he was this eager to accept to participate in something so far removed from his interests? Was he so lonely and devoid of company that all it took to make his heart beat faster was an invite from the most peculiar and reclusive character in the entire College? That begged the question. If Idia Shroud could invite him, why couldn’t the others? There were far more cheerful and friendly characters among his peers who could've easily...Humans were indeed strange. This was not the time to be picky, however, and he was grateful.

“The drawings, right! Follow me.”

Idia gestured to Malleus to follow him, while the little Shroud floated in front of them.

They walked through an eerie blue corridor branching out from the commons for a short while before they came to what appeared to be Idia’s room. He gestured to Malleus to come in and announced that he will be watching the stream from his room, so he should make himself comfortable. Idia’s room was…unexpectedly small for a dorm leader’s. Did he never move from his original room before becoming dorm leader, or, did the amount of stuff all over the place make it even more cramped? Malleus couldn’t tell. The room itself was charming in its own way, and it felt comfortable and homey.

Idia handed Malleus a, standard NRC-commissioned dark blue file with the Ignihyde crest on it, presumably with the promised drawings, and together with it, a plastic cup with some drawn character on it which he grabbed from his study desk. He also pointed to the low table in his room where several bottles of fizzy drinks and juices were arranged neatly in a semi-circle. Malleus took it as a cue to grab a drink, lacking any directions from Shroud, who was busy with something on his computer, furrowing his brows while the little Shroud floated around saying words he never heard before, but which made perfect sense to his host, because he seemed to nod to Ortho’s words. Nevertheless, he grabbed some transparent bubbly drink which tasted like regular water, but the sensation of something tickling the inside of his mouth intrigued him. He’s never had this before. He must find this eccentric drink and have Lilia try it. For a brief moment, he was standing really awkwardly near the low table and after he glanced at the drawings in the file, continued looking around Shroud’s room once again. Maybe it would give him some clue to what Shroud was like. It was as blue as the rest of Ignihyde, and there were cables all over the place. There was also an interesting cylinder-shaped…contraption in the corner. Its use, unknown. It can’t have been a shower, can it? The only window near the bed was covered by a short and thick light-blocking curtain. The walls were covered with images and shelves full of books and figures he knew nothing about but for which he knew were valuable to their owner. As for their monetary value, he couldn’t really tell. Judging from Shroud’s reaction that he witnessed today, he deduced that, if anything else in this room was also a “director’s cut”, whatever that meant, that there are many riches in this cramped room. It was interesting how not all humans valued gold or rare stones as he was led to believe. Thinking of an appropriate reward for the drawings would be quite the challenge.

Idia and Ortho stepped away from the computer. After grabbing a small bottle from the low table, Idia slumped onto something that resembled a pillow of some sorts and let out an interesting scream, followed by “It’s starting!” Ortho sat left to his older brother and gestured to Malleus to come. Malleus sat down on the soft blue rug next to Idia, feeling the warmth of his flaming blue hair on his face.

All of a sudden, a beam of light came from behind them, spilling onto the white portion of the wall they were facing and moving pictures accompanied by loud sound appeared one after another. This was a cinema! In Shroud’s tiny room! How could this be? He remembered going to the cinema with Lilia as a child when they were visiting foreign countries, but to think that it could be put into such a confined space left Malleus in awe. He ought to ask Shroud how he could get such a device for himself.

As the film progressed, Malleus found himself not paying much attention mainly because he didn’t understand it. What he did pay attention to, was Shroud’s face, his cute mannerisms as he giggled, cried and laughed from ear to ear.

 _Cute_?

Was that his first association? Did he just think that a human…no…Idia Shroud was… _cute_? This intimate moment they were sharing was surreal and endearing and it made Malleus’ heart beat faster. This experience felt like something not many people would be allowed to see in their entire lifetime. Shroud would almost never show his face anywhere, and to be able to witness something raw and unedited like this, in his dorm room, nonetheless, caused a warm sensation around Malleus’ chest. This was not an unknown feeling, but one he often enjoyed – the beginning of an infatuation.

This Idia Shroud, who could seemingly manipulate any type of machinery with ease, and who Malleus thought was a dangerous individual precisely because of it, was currently sitting on his oversized pillow, showing such pure, almost child-like reactions to a string of moving pictures.

This Idia Shroud, who was victim of disgusting rumours painting him as a disturbed and depraved individual was in Malleus’ eyes, a kind and shy man who was misunderstood just as he was, and who would probably give his whole self to a person that could break through his walls. Malleus was curious to learn more about the man who was kind enough to invite an outsider like him to participate in an important dorm event. That in itself made Idia Shroud very attractive to Malleus. On top of that, only now did he notice how attractive the fiery-haired man looked as they sat this close to each other. With every second that passed, Malleus felt like he was falling deeper and deeper in love and that, although his infatuations would usually not last for long, he somehow knew this one was here to stay. 

The little Shroud was also interesting. Malleus knew that it was an artificial creation, and yet, here it was, behaving no differently from Silver when he was about five. Laughing at the same time as his brother and clapping his hands when something good happened on the screen. How could such behaviour be possible? Can machines be that smart or sophisticated? What was his sustenance? If the little Shroud was made with a personality of a child, can there be other types of machines with different personalities? Could Idia, if he wanted, make his little brother into a blood-thirsty killing machine? Could he make artificial machinery with killing intents? If there was ever a war with the Isle of Lamentation, would their forces be like this little ‘boy’ in front of him? There were so many questions in his head but he couldn’t even think about them because he didn’t know the basics of machinery. He could ask, but, that would be tasteless, provided they had no prior interaction. He could possibly get close and dig deeper, of course, with the Valley of Thorns’ best interest in mind, not only for his own personal pleasure. If this kind of machinery could be weaponised, then the Isle of Lamentation is safer as an ally than as an enemy. The fae could never beat something like that, even with all their magic, military force and all their alliances. Besides, the neighbouring kingdoms would probably calm down if they knew the threat of the Isle of Lamentation was looming in case they tried something inappropriate.

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“Mr Malleus…?” spoke Idia all of a sudden, interrupting Malleus’ train of thoughts.

“The film is over…”

“Oh dear, it really is. I am sorry. I left my mind wander.”

“Did Malleus Draconia enjoy it?” Asked Ortho. “This is one of our favourite series! We’ve watched it many times, and to watch the new Director’s cut, it was AMAZING. How was it? How was it?”

The little Shroud’s eyes seemed as if they were expressing a smile, although Malleus couldn’t see the mouth behind that odd mask. However, he figured it was one, so he smiled back. _There is no way something as innocent as this can be a harbinger of death. Can it?_

“Technology is not truly my forte, so, I’m afraid that I didn’t understand the…film you kindly let me observe. I did have a pleasant time in your company, regardless. It is a rare occasion for me, so let me express my gratitude for your invitation.” Malleus bowed slightly. “… and for the wonderful art. It would bring great pleasure to me if you visited my research society every once in a while.”

“Oh, I know! Malleus Draconia did not understand this because it is the latest part! You must come again to watch everything from start! Brother and I will be having a _Overblow_ marathon in a month from now, won’t we?”

Idia, with tinges of red in his face, warned Ortho not to bother Malleus. The little boy protested and said how Idia should make friends and let everyone in the world watch _Overblow._ Idia confirmed what his brother said.

“Yeah…in a month... If…if you’d like…but no pressure.”

“Thank you for your invitation. I need to check with my dorm, but, I will do my best to accommodate to your schedule. Once again, before I take my leave, let me express my sincerest gratitude to both of you.”

Malleus bowed deeply this time and disappeared in a second, leaving a thin, mist-like light behind.

"He didn't stay for the cake...what a shame", Ortho said.

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After cleaning up, the Shroud brothers were preparing for a “brain maintenance session”. While Idia ate his dinner, he talked to Ortho about the movie. All of a sudden, Ortho changed the topic to 

“I am so happy you invited your friend! He seems so nice. I like him. Do you like him, brother?”

Idia almost choked on his food. What kind of 'like' did Ortho really aim at? 

“He’s not exactly my friend, Ortho.”

“Not YET…” the little boy giggled. “He might be. It’s been such a long time since you tried making friends. I’m so happy you invited him for the marathon too. I hope he can come.”

Idia didn’t reply. He was hoping too. At the same time, he regretted his decision. As Ortho said, Idia Shroud did not make friends. He didn’t need more friends. He already had Azul, and he was more than enough to handle sometimes. His mind shifted to his and Azul's conversation this week and he couldn't help but think how Azul implanted a thought in his brain that never should've been there in the first place. 

After finishing dinner, he took the tray with him and put it in front of the door as usual. Ortho went into his docking station, wishing his brother good night. Then he headed for the showers, taking a longer time than usual.

After coming back, Idia lay in his bed, touching aimlessly at the screen hanging above his head. Why did he invite that Overkill SSR character? He should’ve just handed him the drawings. Inviting someone, and two times in a row at that? What was he thinking? That was too out of character! And the nerve to say that he didn’t understand _Overblow???_ What’s there not to understand? Good guys group up, beat up the bad guys and they save the day! It’s such a simple premise. Even if they were to be ‘friends’, how could they? They’re too different. Their hobbies would never match. If anything good came out of that meeting was that Ortho seemed to have enjoyed the company. But it would be the last time he would have outside ‘guests’. Besides, there’s no way Malleus Draconia would come to watch 10 hours of something he didn’t understand. Idia was conflicted. As much as Idia was hoping he could see Malleus again, he also thought how it would be better if he didn’t come. Human interactions led to attachments, feelings, disappointment and all that messy stuff in between. It would be smarter not to let anyone in ever again. Less painful that way. He completed two more quests on auto-mode, texted Azul and played a random episode of a short show in a foreign language as background noise until he dozed off. He had Ortho’s maintenance scheduled for tomorrow and he actually needed rest.

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On the other side of campus, Malleus Draconia was sitting in the Diasomnia common room on the sofa near the fireplace. The green flames emanated a comfortable warmth. The sensation was similar to Shroud's hair, but something was amiss. Malleus wondered what the fiery blue locks were made of. It definitely looked like fire, and it felt warm, but it also looked like regular hair and it wasn't the warmth one would expect from blue flames, or any flames for that matter. He was thinking about different types of fires Crewel would explain in alchemy class and nothing made sense. Lilia walked in the commons and sat across him with a curious smirk on his face, interrupting Malleus' train of thought.

“How was your day, Malleus?” Malleus didn’t reply at first, he just smiled. Feeling Lilia's intense gaze, he spoke. “I learned something new about humans. They were able to shrink the cinema so it can fit in a small room! And they have this weird tickling water. It was exhilarating.”

Lilia gave a loud laugh. “Ha! Tickling water! Good one! Sparkling water can be bought from vending machines near the Mystery Shop, my dear prince.” Malleus was devastated. He hoped that there was something Lilia hadn't tried so he could surprise him.

All of a sudden, Lilia was hanging upside down, his face too close to Malleus’ and a smug smile on his face.

“I know where you’ve been.”

“Stop that.” Malleus scooted over onto the other end of the sofa and got up in so he could get away from Lilia being so up in his face. Lilia was no longer upside down but reclining on the side of the black sofa.

“How was the Ignihyde dorm?” Lilia asked, his smug smile replaced with a genuine expression of curiosity. Malleus reacted to that question by averting his gaze and denying any connection with the secretive dorm, saying he was just doing his club activities. Lilia started pacing around the sofa as he spoke.

“There are only a few people in this college who would actually have a **projector** in their room. I highly doubt it you went to Diamond’s room, because he snuck out of campus last night to visit a girl in town and hasn’t yet come back. It’s also unimaginable that you stayed in Savanaclaw, with Kingscholar nonetheless, for the duration of an entire film. However, I heard that a certain blue dorm was having a _Overblow: finale_ watch party today.”

“Huh…projector… Makes sense.”

“I really hate it when you hide things from me, Malleus.”

Lilia’s tone changed from cheerful to serious in a second. “I understand you want to have fun, but we were all worried something grave may have happened to you. Silver and Sebek spent the entire day looking for you. Sebek was out of his mind, he was being even louder than usual. It was actually unbearable. Had you told me there wouldn’t have been the need to send them out.”

“I am sorry for causing you grief. I went there with the intention to get my gargoyle sketches from Shroud, but they invited me to stay, and I…did.”

Lilia didn’t miss the slight curve of Malleus’ lips while he said he was invited. It’s been a while since he was this lively and the sight delighted Lilia. Maybe this would be a good chance for him to finally make some human friends. However, he had to stay true to his role of a guardian and scolded the young prince harshly for quite some time. After the clock ticked one past midnight, he finished his lecture with “Don't pout. You deserved to be scolded, Malleus. And while I do understand you want to enjoy your student days, my dear prince, I must ask you to tell me where you are at all times.”

Malleus lay down in his bed with a sour expression on his face. Being scolded by Lilia has always been one of the worst things in the world for him. Malleus’ pride was hurt, since he was no longer a child, and was definitely in no need of protection. Although, he had to admit that Lilia was right. Looking back, it was really irresponsible of him to wander away without a word. He was painfully aware that Diasomnia heads would be flying left and right had he gone missing. Granted, Malleus could defend himself in any situation against any enemy, however, any time he would use his magic, it may have long-lasting political implications to the Valley which was trying so hard not to invite any more unnecessary bloodshed, and had that happened on campus, the fallout would've been too great. Had this happened away from Lilia's ever-watchful eye, Her Majesty would think that Lilia failed in his duty to the Throne and, no matter how experienced or legendary of a warrior he may have been, he would have been disposed of in the blink of an eye for the sake of a precarious chance for peace. The Valley of Thorns was ruthless and it didn’t allow mistakes. 

It was foolish how easily this discussion would've been avoided had he done exactly what he usually did. He trusted Lilia with his life and would always tell him of his plans, and in turn, Lilia would never misuse the information or pry any further, nor would he get in his business unless it was an emergency, which was rare. Still, he could not explain, not even to himself, why he even felt the need to keep their meeting a secret.

With that question unresolved, Malleus drifted away in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	6. Wish

Although the campus was well under way in preparing for the magift tournament that was to be held at the beginning of next month, headmaster Crowley made his announcement on the Star-sending event to be held on the weekend. Malleus wasn’t aware of the event until Idia’s tablet and Ortho came to Diasomnia to collect wishes. He was pleasantly surprised, as he hasn’t had any sort of interaction with Idia for quite some time, although he tried desperately to find him around school.

  
“I wish my Gao Gao-kun had a friend”  
The small magical star lit up, illuminating the gloomy room.  
Upon hearing his wish, Idia laughed.  
“I never thought in a million years I would hear the name of that retro game out of Mr Malleus’ mouth! That’s hilarious!” he continued laughing.

Malleus had the feeling Idia was ridiculing him and he took it to heart. Wasn’t Shroud a tech aficionado? He was hoping that, if there was one person who could understand why this was important, it would be him. Feeling somewhat sad, Malleus confirmed by nodding his head.  
“I don’t know that game”, added Ortho. “Searching…Oh I see! It’s an old digital pet game.”  
“Yeah, yeah! Made from cheap materials and has a 1st gen LCD screen, and you can put it on a keychain and carry it around and feed it so it doesn’t die on you in random moments. It was super popular when I was a kid. Wait a second… Mr Malleus, are you playing it now? Like, for real?”

Malleus didn’t understand the shock in Idia’s voice at first, but then it got him thinking. If Shroud played it as a child, then Gao Gao might not be as new as he thought it was. Maybe it was his own ignorance that made him think that all technology was the same and that it was something that was ageless and irreplaceable. Interesting. Technology wasn’t ageless as he had previously believed, and it gets old and forgotten in time. He ought to put it in his notebook as soon as possible.  
“I am, actually. Lilia brought it as a souvenir for me. Can’t remember from where. Might have even be the Isle of Lamentation, but I am not sure.”  
Idia was in awe. To think that the most powerful magician in the world, the heir to the Valley of Thorns, the daunting Malleus Draconia, played such a simple childish game, was unreal.  
“So, you see, I just recently found out that you can use…um, what was it…infrared, and make friends with other dragons. Unfortunately, I only have one…so…”  
“Hmm…” Ortho Shroud knitted his brows. His face showed he was in deep thought. Once again, Malleus was amazed at how lifelike and expressive the little Shroud was.  
“People around Malleus Draconia who might have this game are…”  
“None.”  
“Not unsurprising.” Idia added to the conversation. “It was popular almost a decade ago. I bet it’s been discontinued.”  
“I assumed as much. So, there’s no way my wish can come true? My dragon will never get a friend?”

Paying attention to the sulking Malleus through his camera, Idia felt a tinge of guilt. He, of all people should be the last one to make fun of other people’s interests or crush anyone’s dreams. He felt like a huge asshole. Yeah, it was such a bizarre thing to hear, but he shouldn’t have reacted in such a manner. It was completely uncalled for on his part.  
“Hey, don’t make such a defeated face, Mr Malleus…It’s not over yet. It was super popular back in the day, with millions of copies sold worldwide. There must be someone selling it. I can…find it for you online. Ortho, can you…”  
“Searching online stores and auction websites for Gao Gao Dragon-kun.”“Mint-condition ones would be valuable for collectors, but, if it’s not already used it doesn’t serve any purpose for this. Also, if you leave it in a blister pack for too long, it deteriorates faster than the used ones, so, the used one would be a better option, maybe, but…the battery life and the case colour changing…”

There it was again. That endearing scene from Ignihyde from two weeks ago that made him irrevocably fall in love. This adorable trait of Idia being talkative when he was interested in something was showing again. To witness it for a second time was truly a gift and it brought back the pleasant warmth around his chest. Although Idia wasn’t physically present, Malleus could just imagine him grinning as he spoke. Ortho added to the conversation and in an instant, the two of them were engrossed in a conversation that apparently made sense only to the two of them. Oh, how he wished he could have such conversations with someone. A secret language that no one else would understand but him and his companion. What he was feeling right now would be, when put in human terms, envy.

“148 items found. Displaying results”  
“Ha! 148 items of Gao Gao Dragon-kun, many of them still working…! Problem solved.”  
“Really?” A big smile appeared on the ever-stoic face of the thorn prince. So, there is hope that his wish could come true. And for it to be fulfilled by no other than Idia Shroud, it was really special.  
“I…don’t really know how to use online shopping. I’ll give you the money. So, could you…order it for me? Please?”  
“Um…yeah, sure…” there was a brief pause, “…and, done! It’ll arrive in a couple of days or so.”  
“I must express my deepest gratitude. You’ve done me a great favour, Shroud. I will reward you generously after it has arrived. Tell me how much it was?”  
“It’s fine. Don’t mention it.”  
“Shroud…I insist.”  
“Just drop it, Mr Malleus. I didn’t do it for a reward or anything. It’s my job as a stargazer, I guess…Ok! Side-quest clear, moving on. I hope you’ll enjoy your game. GG.”

The Ignihyde pair took their leave, leaving Malleus confused in more ways than one. First, what was that weird greeting? Second, why wouldn’t he accept a reward? Yes, the stargazer role probably had something to do with it, but this behaviour was so different from the usual human nature that he was used to. This would be the second time Idia refused any kind of reward. Humans would usually jump at the opportunity to get any kind of reward. What made Shroud different from others? He wanted to believe that the heir of the Shroud family was just so rich that he could probably get anything money could buy, even the rarest of materials, and that it wasn’t him trying to minimise the number of interactions they had. Deep down, Malleus knew it was the latter.

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Having picked up the last wishing star from Diasomnia, Idia and his brother decided to call it a day. Ortho came back to Idia’s room carrying his trusty tablet and put it on the charger. “Brother, why can’t I remember Gao Gao-kun?”  
“You weren’t born yet, Ortho. It was truly just a novelty toy and it was outranked by Portable Mandrakes a year later. Then they were replaced by…what was it again…” Idia tapped on his keyboard in search of the missing toy name and scrolled for a while until he said: “Bug blocks. You remember those, don’t you?”  
“I DO! They were shaped as literal bugs and mom would freak out every time we left them in the living room.”  
Both of them burst out laughing. “Well, she was freaking out more because we left them on the floor. Once she stepped on one and destroyed it. You cried for two days!”  
“Did not!”  
“Did too!”  
“Did NOT!”

Their banter continued for a while, neither of them willing to back down. Idia got up and picked up his baby brother, spinning him around. “Did too, you big baby! I remember it like it was yesterday. My memory is perfect!”“Brother, put me down! It’s embarrassing.”  
“Embarrassing, you say? But I just can’t help it. You’re so smol.” Idia pulled Ortho in for a hug. The little boy, who was trying to wiggle out a moment ago hugged him back. Idia was moved by this and was starting to get emotional. He took a deep breath to stop any chokes that might come out and hugged Ortho tighter, almost afraid to let him go. When was the last time he hugged his little brother? When did Ortho learn how to hug back? Of course, Ortho wasn’t completely unaware of the existence of hugs, because he would sometimes run to him and hug him when he’s happy, but he would never return Idia’s hugs before and would always think of it as invasive and would go into self-defence mode. Grateful for this moment, and for the knowledge that Ortho was developing on his own, Idia finally let go.

“Brother…can I ask you something?”  
“Of course, Ortho.” He replied but was dreading the question. Would it be one of those Idia had difficulty answering? It was probably coming, given what just happened.  
“Can you get me Gao Gao Dragon-kun as well? I want to play the game brother played when he was little. I am really curious.”  
Idia sighed a breath of relief and nodded. “What colour would you like?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	7. Stars

On the day of the Star-sending ceremony, the campus was buzzing with preparations despite a dark cloud looming and threatening to bring everything to a halt. However, as of this point there was no cancellation notice so Malleus continued to get ready to head out.

Putting on his new, tight-fitting custom-made white shirt, Malleus was looking forward to the ceremony too much to admit. It was one of the rare occasions where one didn’t need an invitation. As an added bonus, he could see that lovely, fiery-haired man in Stargazer robes. He wondered how his hair would look like. Would he tie it, or would it dance around him during the performance? Would he dance? Play the drums? Oh, how exciting it was to imagine, and to think that he could see it in a short while, it brought happy tears to his eyes. Right now, Malleus would welcome any opportunity to see Idia Shroud, and this ceremony would be perfect. He braced himself. Today, if…when, they meet, he will be braver and talk to him. Lilia and Silver had already gone ahead, so Malleus met up with Sebek and the two made their way to the big tree behind campus. Today, Malleus’ mood was so good that even the distrustful looks of other students hadn’t bothered him a bit. Today, he would get to see Idia Shroud in the flesh.

There was a neat stage with a large drum in the middle set up in front of the star-filled glistening tree and the entire atmosphere was magical. The only thing that threatened to dissolve this magical moment were hearsays of cancellation and bad weather.

Malleus was devastated. He wanted to stay, hoping that the ceremony would go on no matter what, but the thrashing thunder and lightning only affirmed his fears. Resolved to see Idia Shroud today, he decided that he would even be willing to stand in the dreaded rain just to see the performance. Scanning the stage and its surroundings, he could see two stargazers. None of them were the stargazer he wanted to see. For a brief moment he saw a blue flame in the backstage and he got his hopes up, only for them to be crushed in an instant as he realised it was the magicless human child’s familiar.

With the thunder and lighting getting more intense, Sebek was becoming even more adamant that Malleus ought to return to the dorm. As always, this loud young man was too much to bear as always, so, with Idia nowhere in sight and already disappointed, with no willpower to argue, Malleus returned to Diasomnia and headed straight for his room.

Standing next to the window, he observed the sky for a long time, lost in thought. Suddenly, the skies started to clear out. He could’ve sworn something resembling the little Shroud also seemed to be flying towards the sky. How it related to one another, Malleus didn’t know. Following the sound of loud drums came the realization the ceremony was not cancelled. He regretted that his dislike of rain allowed him to be influenced by Sebek and how weak he was. Had he stayed ten minutes more he would’ve been down there, nothing in the world would stop him from witnessing the one thing he anticipated the most.

With the falling stars came another regret. He realized that he wasted his wish on something that could’ve been solved with internet shopping. How silly of him. Maybe he should’ve wished to get closer to Idia Shroud. Malleus was feeling a whole range of emotions and was just about to drown himself in his sorrow when he was interrupted by something, no, someone loud.

As if he came to add insult to injury, Sebek was knocking on the door as he yelled. Malleus could hear him from outside as if there was no door between them in the first place.

“Your majesty! I am so sorry. They held the ceremony in spite of the bad weather. Forgive me, your Majesty!”

Although Malleus knew he could not fully blame Sebek, as Malleus was the one who made the final decision to retreat, Sebek’s apology meant nothing to him. Even if Malleus were to go back to the ceremony now, by the time he arrived to the main stage, everything will have finished. He also had the feeling that Idia would run away from prying eyes to the comfort of his cramped room the moment the performance ended. If he were in luck, he might catch Idia, but what would he say? Malleus wanted to shout, scream and cry, he wanted to let out all the negative emotions he accumulated since morning. And yet, he managed to subdue his emotions. He thought it would be unfair to let his anger out on Sebek. Deep down, Malleus knew that Sebek meant well, and he was also the closest thing Malleus had to a friend in years, despite their relationship being quite hierarchical.

Calming his breath, Malleus opened the door and tried to offer words of consolation. To whom, he was not certain.

“I don’t mind. I don’t find shooting stars all that peculiar anyways. Quite frankly, they are so constant, that they are about the only thing that will never let you down.”

Not meaning to say that last part and painfully aware of how passive-aggressive that sounded, he tried to smile and then expressed his wish to be left alone and closed the door once again. The wailing noises also subdued, meaning that Sebek was getting further away. Malleus came back to the window and the shooting stars were no longer there. The only good thing was that the raincloud was also gone, so Malleus decided to head to the Magift training grounds. It was a better option than wallowing in self-pity for the rest of the day as he had originally planned. After spending more than five hours in the field, Malleus finally succumbed to exhaustion and returned to his room not bothering with taking a shower and just slumped down in his bed. 

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Malleus had a hard time waking up in the morning and it was already 11 a.m. when he finally managed to roll out of bed. Feeling rather disgusting and dirty from yesterday, he finally made the decision to leave the comfort of his soft and warm sheets and take a shower before starting his uneventful day.

Coming back from the shower adjacent to his room, wrapped in nothing but a towel, Malleus found Lilia sitting on his unmade bed. Tensing up because of the unexpected visit, Malleus turned his back to Lilia, trying to hide from being seen like this. Naked. Disfigured. Defenceless. It made no difference that the one who was seeing him was the same Lilia who healed him to the best of his abilities and saved his life. “Lilia. I told you many times not to barge in uninvited.” Malleus quickly threw on a robe that was hanging on his half-opened wardrobe door. “You could’ve at least knocked.”

“I am sorry, dear prince. I didn’t stop to think you would mind if it were me, after all. Besides, you were taking your sweet time.” Lilia’s smug smile appeared on his face, almost provoking Malleus. Before Malleus even had time to react, Lilia continued.

“I just came to deliver you this.” There were two things in Lilia’s hands. A local newspaper and a shiny black envelope with an imposing gold seal. Malleus approached his guardian and took the two items from his hands. Completely discarding the letter from the Queen by letting it fall on the bed, he spread the newspaper. “Newspapers? Why?”

“You know why.” Lilia smiled slyly all the way he walked out backwards and outside the door as he apologised again for barging in.

Not wasting a moment, Malleus started flipping the pages until he saw a photo that brought a smile to his face. He sat at his desk, rummaging around his messy drawers for scissors, or anything that could cut, but to no avail. In the end, he ripped it out with his bare hands and put it in his research notebook for safekeeping. It was the drums.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	8. Team

As the magift tournament was approaching in less than a week, the entire Diasomnia was engaged in preparing. Most of the time they were in the dorm training fields, but today was their turn to use the Colosseum for a day.

Malleus and his dorm mates entered the Colosseum after breakfast. Having an unpleasant interaction at the entrance with Kingscholar, who was adamant the building belonged to Savanaclaw every day until noon, Malleus’ mood turned sour after bickering with the prince for almost half an hour. Having somehow resolved the issue, albeit with professor Vargas mediating, the Diasomnia team proceeded to the changing rooms and then to the field where they began practicing restlessly until lunch because Malleus wasn’t content with their performance. After the lunch break, the team was just starting the afternoon session as an unlikely invader found his way to the field. A hue of blue very familiar to Malleus, albeit smaller, flew in to the Colosseum from the sky and prowled around. Stopping the training for a bit, Malleus Draconia approached their unlikely guest and said his greetings. All the discontent he accumulated since this morning was gone the moment he saw Idia Shroud’s little brother. These days, anything even remotely reminiscent of Idia Shroud would make him happy due to the painfully obvious absence of the man himself.

“Can I play with you?” the little boy asked. “Brother made some changes to the active gear the other day so I really wanted to test it out. Can I? Pleeeeeeease? Just one round?”

“Of course, little one.”

Announcing it to the rest of the team, Malleus’ approval was met with dissatisfaction from his teammates who were starting to complain how Ortho was dangerous and how him being there could lead to their defeat.

“I am disappointed in all of you. If you fear defeat, you need more practice. Do not blame a small child. Little Shroud can stay.” Malleus turned to Ortho. “But keep it one round, little one. My team is already agitated as is.”

“Sure! Thank you, Malleus Draconia! One round! Promise.”

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Ortho turned out to be quite a skilled magift player, and the team had no objections as soon as they realised it. With Malleus’ approval, they asked Ortho to play with them as much as he wanted. Many rounds later, the players were getting tired. Compared to them, Ortho was still lively as ever and seemed like he was only getting started. 

“I must apologize for my attitude earlier in the day. You’re a formidable opponent, Shroud.” One of the Diasomnia students spoke. “Will you be playing for Ignihyde this year?”

“No…brother and I are counted as one student, and he would rather _eat a honeycomb full of bees_ than do magift.” The Diasomnia students around him burst out laughing at the sound of Ortho imitating his brother mid-sentence. Malleus also chuckled because he could absolutely imagine Idia saying anything over the top like that to get out of an uncomfortable situation. “He’s allergic to bees, you know.” The laughter became louder and Malleus himself also couldn’t stop. Getting closer to join in on their conversation, Malleus overheard a heart-wrenching sentence coming from the younger Shroud.

“Thank you for letting me play. I’ve been asking for days.”

“Then come to Diasomnia whenever you want.” spoke Malleus, causing the other players to turn towards him and bow slightly. “We can’t book the Colosseum every day, but there is always someone playing magift in Diasomnia. You are invited, as my personal guest.”

Malleus then turned to a long-haired student who was speaking to Ortho a moment ago and told him to have Lilia call for a dorm assembly after dinner. The other students also started excusing themselves one by one as they waved to Ortho and said their goodbyes. As the team slowly disappeared from sight, Malleus kneeled in front of Ortho, matching his eye height with his and smiled. Ortho smiled back with those expressive eyes of his. They were a lighter shade of amber, but still reminiscent of Idia’s. Malleus became painfully aware of how much time passed since he last saw Idia and how he didn’t manage to make any progress in getting closer to him.

“Malleus Draconia is very kind to me. Thank you. I’m really happy.”

“The pleasure is all mine. Even if I’m not around, ask for Lilia or Silver, or anyone from the team really.”

Ortho fidgeted and looked like he was trying to say something but seemed to have difficulties in putting it into words. Malleus noticed and asked him to speak openly.

“Brother always says not to bother others, but…”

“Oh, little one, you could never!” Malleus suddenly grabbed Ortho’s hand. It felt warm and soft, nothing like Malleus had imagined. Malleus wondered how holding Idia’s hand would feel. “Tell your brother you’re nothing but a pleasure to have around. Besides, I would be lying if I didn’t have selfish reasons for letting you stay. My team could benefit so much from you just being there.”

“I’m not that special…” Ortho was trying not to smile for the praise he was getting.

“May I ask one thing? Your dorm members won’t mind you playing with a different dorm, will they?”

“I don’t think so. We don’t even have a team. There isn’t anyone in Ignihyde who actually likes doing Magift enough to form one. We have more fun with tech support for the live coverage though.”

“I see…now that you mention it, there was no Magift registrations in the past few years either. Well, I am glad you’ll be joining us for the next two weeks. Shall we head back?”

Ortho nodded and followed Malleus to the Hall of Mirrors, both of them engaged in conversation. When time for them to go back to their respective dorms came, Ortho thanked Malleus once again just before he stepped into the Mirror.

“I can’t wait to tell brother about today!” With that, Ortho disappeared behind the magical mirror, and Malleus realised that he missed his chance to ask about Idia. He was hoping the little Shroud would visit tomorrow.

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Stepping into the Diasomnia commons, Malleus was greeted by the sight of Silver and Malleus fighting rather vehemently over something. Sebek was holding a box in his hands and Silver was trying to take it away from him repeatedly. Malleus intervened in their spat and found out that the package Idia ordered for him arrived at the dorm just a few moments ago. They were fighting because Silver thought it inappropriate for Sebek to open Malleus’ mail on a whim, but Sebek claimed it was for his own protection as something dangerous might’ve been in it because “His Majesty does not do online shopping.”

Frustrated with this insolence, Malleus almost ripped the box out of Zigvolt’s hands and withdrew to his room.

He put the already opened box on his desk, lifting one side of the cardboard up and peeking inside. Malleus Draconia, the heir of the Valley of Thorns, squealed like a little child to the sight of a new Gao Gao Dragon-kun toy. Opening the box properly this time, he took it out so gently as if it would shatter on a mere touch and pressed it to his chest. A dragon friend! Finally. Impatient as he was, there was a magift meeting in a few moments, so Gao Gao Dragon-kun had to wait his return, unfortunately.

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“Brother! Brother! Guess what!”

Ortho rushed in Idia’s room, startling his big brother who hastily turned off one of his side-screens before facing him, hoping Ortho didn’t catch its contents. He would deal with pesky Isle politics later when Ortho was asleep.

“Ortho! Oh, you’re back already.”

“What do you mean already? It’s 9pm, and you’re exactly where I left you.”

Idia laughed nervously and tried to play it off as brainstorming. He promised Ortho he would get some actual work done on a new retinal implant during the day, as his baby brother’s been asking for it for weeks. Idia, however, was so overwhelmed by everything that was expected of him to do, that once again, he resorted to staring at a blank spot for hours on end, but was too embarrassed to admit it. 

“But, enough about me. How was your day?”

“Oh, brother, you wouldn’t believe what happened! Guess!”

“Um…I don’t know. Tell me.”

“No! You have to guess.”

“You…did something with the active gear?”

Ortho played bell signs, signalling for a correct answer.

“Yes but…something really cool!”

“Did you figure out how to use the new steering system?”

“Yeah, that too but…Something much better! I finally played magift!”

Disappointed that one of his own would say such cruel things, Idia sighed. How was a brand-new, never made before steering alignment system not better than a sport where people intentionally hurt each other with magic? But, one look at Ortho’s cheerful face and Idia just knew it was not his place to sulk and ruin his baby brother’s moment. Forcing a smile, he asked Ortho to tell him more. The boy started retelling him the events of the day. At the mention of Malleus’ name, Idia stopped Ortho in his tracks, unable to hide his surprise.

“Malleus Draconia let you play? THE Malleus Draconia?”

“Yeah.”

“With the whole Diasomnia team?”

“Yeah.”

“No other team but Diasomnia let you play with them? Diasomnia?”

“I already said that, brother. Pay attention.”

“I know, I know, but…you really played magift with Malleus Draconia? Like, for real?”

“I did! Oh brother it was so fun! At first they said just once but then they kept asking me to stay. Malleus invited me to play with them in Diasomnia whenever I want. I know you said not to bother other people, but he said it was okay and…”

Idia cut his little brother’s fast-lipped monologue. “He did what?”

“Geez, you should pay more attention…I said he told me to come play whenever I want.”

“I’m listening. It’s just…I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Malleus Draconia invited you…Played magift with you…”

Ortho frowned.

“I might be a good player but you wouldn’t accept that, would you.”

Idia felt like his heart was going to stop. Although he was always vocal about not liking magift himself, he didn’t want to have Ortho believe he was disapproving of his interests in the slightest. Aware of how judgmental his reaction might’ve been, he tried to apologise to Ortho the best he could.

“Ortho…no, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I’m sorry. I’m having difficulties in processing what you’re telling me, is all. I mean…I know you can use the athletic gear to its max. That’s not the issue. It’s just bizarre that it was Diasomnia…and Malleus of all people. I can’t explain it properly but…It’s not weird that you were invited to play, but who you were invited by…that sort of thing. I’m sorry, Ortho. Please, tell me about your day. I’ll listen. Ok?”

Ortho nodded and continued his story, most of it were descriptions of the matches themselves. When the conversation shifted to Ortho visiting Diasomnia to play, Idia became more engaged in conversation.

“Are you really going to go? How often?”

“Can’t I?”

“I’m not stopping you. I just asked because then we have to adjust our afternoon gaming schedules and stuff…and the other project…”

“So, I was thinking about that too…Malleus Draconia said I could come whenever I wanted. The tournament is in two weeks, and I would like to go every day until then, and I’ll come back in the evenings but…”

“But?”

“Brother will get lonely.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about me. Go. Go and play as much as you want. It would be cool if you could measure your performance so we can think of more energy-effective upgrades. No pressure though. I can work with the data I already have.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	9. Asphodels

Idia couldn’t sleep. Having that third cup of coffee after dinner was a mistake. He was exhausted and surprisingly not in the mood to look at a screen. He contemplated rereading a bionics book he had his uncle send him, but his eyes were too tired to focus on letters as well. Suddenly remembering it was the wee hours of the night, and that there was no one insane enough to be wandering around campus, Idia got up and made his way to the botanical garden. Although he would always complain that it was too far from his room, he welcomed the walk and the fresh air Ortho was so insistent Idia should get every once in a while. Besides, the flowers he was growing there thrived when cared for at night. He wished he could grow them successfully in Ignihyde as well, but nothing he made was as impactful as the botanical garden itself. This could be an interesting research for a future project, so he noted it down on his tablet.

He took his gardening equipment from a small locker and proceeded to the plot where his precious flowers were. As soon as he was done with taking out the weeds, he moved on to digging around the roots to prepare it for fertilizer. He was just about to put the pH measure in when he heard a sound of footsteps.

It was common knowledge that there were ghosts roaming around campus at night, but he didn’t care. He was going to be managing the dead souls until the end of his time anyways, so being scared of specters was ridiculous. The possibility that the noise was another student was more frightening. Of course it was the second option. No other than Malleus Draconia showed up in front of him, saying his greetings with the warmest smile Idia ever saw on him. Although he was freaking out about the unexpected presence, the dim lights of the botanical garden made Malleus look even more dashing than usual. _Did you legit think that...?_

“It’s you, Shroud. What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I could ask the same, Mr Malleus.”

“Pardon me for saying this, but I inquired first. No matter. Is that…King’s Spear you’re growing? How intriguing. It is a rather dangerous plant to have around. Pardon my asking but, why?

Idea stuttered. He knew he didn’t have to explain himself to anyone for any reason, but the person asking was Malleus. Malleus was always nothing but kind to him, and that already meant he could be less wary of him than of others in this college. He also came across as curious, rather than judging, so he might as well as tell him. People who sought after knowledge have common ground with him and they can be frie… _stop it._

“Prayer…It’s the food for the dead.”

“I see. Is it a custom from your homeland?”

Idia nodded as he gently put down the soil-coated trowel he was holding on the white tiled counter holding the flowerpots.

“Oh, I would love to hear more. Could you tell me about its use? If it’s something you’re comfortable to share, of course.”

Idia was taken aback by this question. The last one who asked him about their use was Ortho, and that was before everything in their lives went wrong. Idia’s initial reaction was to decline and think of an excuse for it being personal, but the look of pure, child-like curiosity on Malleus’ face was identical to Ortho. Although it was foolish to equate Ortho and Malleus, the creeping guilt of not teaching his brother when he had the chance compelled him to retract his initial idea.

“King’s spear in common tongue, we call it Asphodel.”

“Asphodel.”

Malleus repeated the foreign name, as he liked the sound of it. He also noticed a subtle change in Idia’s voice when he switched to his mother tongue for a second and its intonation made Malleus’s heart flutter.

“It is the flower of the Underworld. It feeds the dead souls who live there. It is also an appropriate offering to The Plentiful One and his Queen.”

“I see. You refer to the god of Death as ‘The Plentiful One’?”

“Let me correct you there, Mr Malleus. The god of Death and the god of the Dead are two different deities in our culture.”

“Oh? Pardon me for my ignorance.”

“It’s fine. They are easily confused. Just know that, the god of the Dead, one of the Great Seven, or, Hades, as you will, is exactly as it sounds. He reigns over the dead souls in the Underworld. He has nothing to do with actual death. Now when I think about it, not even Thanatos, who’s called the god of Death, by the way, decides when someone will die.”

“Then…who does?”

“The Moirai.”

“Moirai…Moirai” Malleus repeated it again, this time trying to remember one of Lilia’s lessons.

“Ah, yes. It is the name for fate, if I’m correct?”

_Ding ding ding._

Idia made a sound that resembled a bell and seemed to have had fun saying it as he was smiling. Malleus didn’t understand it at first but then remembered that Ortho was the same when someone correctly answered his question. Brothers are truly a wonderful thing.

“There are three of them, actually. Clotho spins the thread of life on her spindle, Lachesis decides on its length and Atropos cuts it when you’re destined to die.”

Malleus got distracted by the word ‘spindle’, for obvious reasons. . The metaphor of life and death expressed through string that was made on a spindle was thought-provoking. There was at least one more culture that uses spindles as in relation to life and death. Maybe they had more in common with humans than he initially thought. Or, at least to the Isle of Lamentation. He ought to report on this soon.

“Sorry for dumping all the names on you all of a sudden”

“Oh, no, I will remember them. Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Right?”

Idia just slightly curved his lips as a sign of approval and turned his attention back on the flower pot.

His profile was beautiful too. Illuminated in the blue of his fiery hair, he looked really calm to Malleus. It was the stark contrast from the jittery Idia he was used to. Idia talking freely about things close to him was truly one of the most precious sights to behold and Malleus couldn’t help but want more of it.

“So, on the topic of names. You called your god the Plentiful One. Is there any reasons for your usage of euphemisms? Why not just Hades, as is commonly known?”

“Superstition, mostly. Hades is the name used for the Underworld as a place as well. Using the euphemism avoids confusion in that sense. But also, the underworld is where all the mines and riches lay. That sort of thing.”

“I can see the connection. You said he had a Queen. What is she like?”

“Very beautiful. She is the Plentiful One’s soulmate. Gentle. Kind. She comes and goes to and from hades and with her, the seasons change.”

There was something poetic in Idia’s description. This notion of the seasons changing because of a deity was interesting to Malleus, because to him, and all the fae, for all that matter, the change of seasons was an unstoppable force independent from any deity or monarch. Information like this made him fall in love with humanity altogether. There were so many different stories, legends and beliefs and he wanted to know them all. Not only for his Queen and her futile efforts, but for his own pleasure too.

Malleus observed Idia as he worked on the flowers, long nimble fingers were taking off the dry leaves and petals in rapid succession. Once again, Idia was the embodiment of focus. 

Breaking the pleasant silence, Malleus wondered about prayers on the Isle of Lamentation. Prayers were foreign to him and he could only grasp the most basic concepts. Apart from his Queen, who could, by some, be considered as a deity, or at least a sort of an authoritative figure in his life to whom he pledged unyielding loyalty, the fae did not have a concept of gods or prayers whatsoever. They believed in spirits, but it couldn't be described well in human terms. 

“When you pray to your god…what do you pray for?”

“Nothing in particular. You see, our prayers are more like praises for the Gods and expressions of gratitude. You can wish for things too, but you can’t just utter empty wishes out of the blue and hope to get it granted in return just…because.”

“That’s interesting. You have a very logical concept. Give and take. Invest in a mutual relationship. Is that kind of worship particular to the Isle of Lamentation?”

“I’m…not sure. I don’t really know much about the faiths of others. I’m not even sure about many things of my own belief system except that I should sing hymns to the Plentiful One, as my family has done before me. If I don’t, it just feels wrong. That’s all there is to it.”

Just as Malleus was about to ask Idia if he really sang, he heard a familiar loudness coming from the entrance. Knowing who it was and why they came for him, he disappeared in a matter of moments, not saying his goodbyes.

Looking at the firefly-like specks of light floating around him, Idia couldn’t help but feel that all of this was just a very realistic fever dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	10. Safe

It was Tuesday evening and Idia was in the boardgame club, trying out a newly bought game with a few other members. Azul was absent. The drama of a few weeks long resolved, everything was back to normal, the game wasn’t as thrilling as the reviews said. The usual. The normalness of a Tuesday evening was sharply interrupted by Idia’s phone’s emergency alarm going off. This could only mean one thing. Ortho was in trouble. Ortho was programmed to have a microphone on him in case of an emergency, so Idia would know what to do and where to go. He heard a familiar voice saying words of consolation and something he could’ve sworn sounded like kisses. The voice from the other side was really reminiscent of Malleus Draconia. _Why do I remember the sound of Malleus’ voice?_

“Whoever is there, tell me what’s wrong with Ortho!” demanded Idia. Silence ensued and then a sound of clearing one’s throat followed.

“Is that Shroud speaking?”

He got his confirmation. No one else would say _Shroud_ in such a manner. Idia froze. The very thought of speaking to Malleus again made him anxious, but his little brother needed him and there was no time for Idia to stall.

“Yes. What’s wrong with Ortho? Where IS he?”

“In Diasomnia. Magift field. Something’s wrong. Hurry.”

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Dropping everything, Idia dashed out of the Raven’s classroom number 7 and ran as fast as he could. Entering the Diasomnia mirror, he was met with two students who were less than eager to let him through and were on the brink of pushing him out through the mirror no matter how many times he had to say that Malleus called for him. Dialling Ortho’s emergency code again he spoke.

“Mr Malleus, please tell your goons to let me in.” Offended by Idia’s words, the two students were readying their magical pens. Idia, who didn’t have his skull-shaped magical induction orb on him was starting to swear to himself for leaving all items in the boardgame club. This was the worst absolute scenario of a dungeon and he had a very unpredictable GM, it seemed. The only escape route was through the mirror that they almost pushed him out of, so that wasn’t an option either. As a last resort, he tried to bargain with the hostile NPCs with his own shaky voice. Luckily, a swarm of bats appeared and materialized in the shape of Lilia Vanrouge, the timing impeccable. Seeing the vice-dorm leader, the students backed down and bowed slightly, and as grateful as Idia was for the timely appearance, the first thing that came to mind was how cool of an ability that was.

“You have done a wonderful job of guarding the dorm. But, no matter what, you must always let other dorm leaders pass without any delay.” The two students looked at each other, visible confusion on their faces. Poor things. They probably never saw the Ignihyde dorm leader in their entire lives and were now blamed for something. Idia felt really bad for them, even though they tried to attack him so he bowed his head slightly. “You two…be careful next time. Come. You are expected.”

Idia did as instructed, and in a matter of moments, he was standing in the middle of a magift stadium. He figured that he would find Ortho where all the commotion was. Shoving his way through other Diasomnia members, Idia saw his baby brother curled up and unmoving, the light from his eyes gone. What was peculiar about the situation was that Malleus Draconia was the one holding Ortho in his arms like a baby. Trying hard to ignore the endearing scene for a moment he refocused on analysing his surroundings. One glance and Idia could instantly tell what caused the shutdown. Apart from an obvious dent in his active gear’s leg, this reaction was something he witnessed many times.

“Oh, Shroud…I am so sorry. I…”

Idia put up a hand signalling Malleus to be quiet. Sebek was about to jump at Idia’s throat for the insolence but was somehow stopped by Silver. Idia kneeled down towards his brother, his eyes entirely focused on Ortho.

“Hey…little owl. Brother’s here. It’s alright.” With both of his hands, Idia grabbed his brother’s other hand. “Imagine the Elysium Fields. You are out of harm’s way.”

A mechanical response came from Ortho. _Voice recognition: on. Brother identified. Safe mode terminated. Rebooting_. His eyes went back from grey to the usual amber, and in an instant, Ortho was back as if nothing had happened. Diasomnia students around him collectively let out a sigh of relief. Ortho looked around, clearly disoriented and asked what was going on. Letting go of both Idia and Malleus’ hands, he propelled himself up.

“Safe mode.” Idia told Ortho and then told him to say his goodbyes and that they were going back to Ignihyde for today.

Looking at his little brother going away, Idia suddenly saw a standing Malleus offering his hand so Idia could stand up. He took it, although the thought of their hands touching, albeit through gloves, made his cheeks flush just for a little bit. They were now standing face to face, yellow eyes meeting green until eye contact became too awkward for Idia and he looked away.

“Shroud…Let me offer you my sincerest apologies. I take full responsibility for this incident.” Malleus was still holding Idia’s hand. Idia was so focused on what Malleus was saying that he didn’t even notice. Being handed apologies like this was really rare so he didn’t know the proper way to react. Usually, he was the one apologising for whatever reason. Besides, who was he to be taking apologies from Malleus Draconia? Trying to change the topic, or, to get Malleus to say anything but apologies, he asked about what happened to Ortho, just for confirmation.

“What do you mean by _incident_ , exactly?”

“The magift disk I threw hit him but he said he was fine and I… I know I should’ve stopped the game but I…”

“Ortho’s athletic gear is not that weak, Mr Malleus. I’ve designed it with your brutish sport in mind. Don’t worry.”

Realising they were still holding hands, Idia let go and looked anywhere but at Malleus.

Although Malleus took offence to Idia’s characterisation of the sport he so loved, he felt relieved that his little guest wasn’t hurt, in a sense. He wondered what had caused Ortho to crash and fall. If it wasn’t impact from the disc, then…

“Thunder.”

Expecting this question after seeing Malleus’ confused expression, Idia spared him the time to ask. Then he called for Ortho to go back home. The boy was still in the middle of a conversation, so he waved his hand dismissively. Thunder…it made sense. Sebek did just go into the offensive moments before. He must tell him to refrain from it the next time Ortho joins them. If. If his brother lets him.

“Shroud…wait a second. I…”

This was a new experience for Malleus. He was a prince, educated to be a diplomat and well-versed in dialogue, and yet, he stumbled around to find even the simplest of words when those blue flames danced around him. It was absolutely ridiculous. All that painstaking training of Lilia’s gone in an instant. He was hoping his mentor couldn’t see him now or he would never hear the end of it. _Think. Remember what you learned. Fixed phrases were better than silence so be sure to just talk._ It was a rare chance to see this wonderful man, and he must not waste it. Also, he needed to apologise once again.

“Allow me to apologise once again for all the trouble I caused to you. I vowed I would keep your brother safe, and I failed.”

“It’s really not your fault though. You couldn’t have known.”

“Still, I feel an immense guilt. If there is any kind of compensation you would require, you need just name it.”

“There’s no need for that, Mr Malleus. Ortho is perfectly fine.”

“Are you certain it’s nothing grave?”

“Oh, sure. As soon as I do a little bit more of tweaking, he’ll be up and running until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? You mean, he may come again? You will allow it?”

“There’s nothing for me to allow. He can make his own decisions. And knowing my brother, he will definitely want to play with you guys.”

Malleus didn’t miss the slight curve of Idia’s lips as he spoke of Ortho. Deeming it appropriate to change the subject, Malleus asked for Idia to stay for a bit longer as he had some other things he wanted to discuss with him. Mainly about the interaction they had in the botanical garden a few nights back. However, their conversation took a different turn.

“Oh, yes, because a big-shot prince like you would have many things to discuss with someone like me…”

As soon as Idia said it, he realised how cold and bitter it sounded. Deep down, he wished he could take it back. He didn’t mean to be this rude. At the same time, Idia knew that nothing good would come of getting involved with anyone and that this kind of reply would be a good enough of a deterrent. There was a valid reason Idia Shroud didn’t try to make friends. Even if there was any kind of relationship to develop between them, Malleus would eventually come to see how loathsome Idia was and would leave, so, Idia reasoned it would be better to nip any future interactions in the bud before Idia got addicted to the idea of companionship.

Malleus was silent, the look on his face trying desperately to hide the shock from Idia’s words. He understood Idia’s implication of _people like me_ well and it irked him. Granted, Malleus was aware that he might be ignoring everything but the good aspects of Idia right now, but whatever the flaws he had yet to discover, they would most likely not be deserving of such self-induced cruelty.

Fully aware they weren’t close enough for him to address that, instead, Malleus brought up that Idia was also a prince in his own right and that, _someone like him_ did not differ from Malleus. It startled Idia, and he mumbled a superficial apology. “I’m not really a good conversation partner, you know…Pretending I don’t exist is much more productive, honestly.”

Malleus wondered how Idia could smile so nonchalantly while saying such hurtful things? Was this manner of referring to himself so ingrained in him and common that he never stopped to think how horrible it sounded? What could’ve possibly led him to act like that? This was a first for Malleus. All the humans he had met until now, especially those who were considered nobility, were always presenting themselves on such a high note. What was it that made Idia Shroud different? Part of him wanted to attach it to the peculiarities of Isle upbringing but he met enough of their spoiled elites too proud of their mediocrity to know that it wasn’t the case. Why was Idia Shroud so full of contradictions and surprises?

Awkwardly shifting in place, Idia called out to his baby brother to get ready to leave ASAP, but Ortho was still engrossed in conversation with the Diasomnia magift team and once again asked his brother for _a few more minutes_. He knew he would feel like an absolute worst brother if he said no. He didn’t even realize that he glanced at Malleus until the Valley prince smiled at him. _Oh shit._ Now he would think that Idia wanted to have a conversation. _Great._ What should he do? Engage in banal conversation? He wished he could disappear like Malleus could, in a fluttering light before anyone could catch him. Oh well, here goes nothing.

Malleus, on the other hand, welcomed the cue and secretly hoped Ortho would take his sweet time. He was a beacon of joy but he tried really hard to contain his facial expressions as Lilia had taught him. Behind his princely façade he hid his excitement that not only did he get to catch a glimpse of the wonderful amber eyes more than once, but also, he could hear his gentle voice.

“All the conversations we had until now were _productive,_ Idia. Indulge me.” Malleus said, that dashing smile plastered on his face.

 _Did he just call me by my first name? Why did he say it in such a way? Why is he smiling at me like that? WHAT IS HAPPENING? No,no…Please stop. If you smile like that, I’ll lose my shit. Why am **I** smiling back? _The heartbeat and the feeling of heat on his cheeks weren’t real. They couldn’t be real. It was collateral from what Azul said and he was stupid enough to internalize it as his own thought. It would pass eventually. There is no way he could or would ever allow himself to fall for anyone for as long as he lived. He will spend the remainder of his time above ground as lowkey as possible and then assume his duties back home until he was no longer needed by his God. Main story clear. Game over.

“So…, how do I put this? I would like to talk to you about _Overblow”_

“Say what?”

“ _Overblow_. More precisely, the watch party next weekend.”

“Oh…right… Sorry for…um…don’t feel obliged to…you don’t have to come…”

As happy as he was a moment ago, Malleus now felt as if a dark cloud loomed over him. He was certain Idia would appreciate talking about something he was interested. He never would’ve expected rejection for an answer. Taking great effort not to give into his habit of slipping into one-sided assumptions he asked Idia for confirmation. Even if he were rejected, he should hear it from Shroud first. Interpreting things as the worst-case scenario never did him any good in his previous relationships, and it wasn’t appropriate behaviour for a prince whose duty was to deepen intercultural and interspecies understanding for the sake of freeing his country from war. Calming his racing mind, he asked.

“Am I uninvited, then?”

“N…no, nothing like that. It’s just…if you’re not interested you don’t have to be all princely and polite and come out of some sense of obligation…is all I’m saying. You surely have better things to do with your time than watch superhero films with some creep you barely know.”

There was another brief moment of silence between them, although it didn’t feel as strained to Malleus as it could’ve been. Shroud was still being intent on spewing self-directed insults, but, that aside, he obtained the information he wanted. Noticing that Ortho was finally making his way back to his brother, Idia said his parting words to Malleus, albeit half of it unintelligible.

“Forgive me… I didn’t…”

With his head lowered and his little brother’s hand in his, Idia quickly made his way out of the magift fields. Idia couldn’t really see where he was going because, first, he didn’t know the way, and second, tears were welling up in his eyes. Ortho was saying something but Idia was so disconnected that he couldn’t pay attention and just let the younger boy lead him out of Diasomnia. Why was Malleus Draconia like this towards him? Insults, glares and weird stares were the norm. Kindness, on the other hand, was a completely different thing. He didn’t know how to process it. Kindness was dangerous.

Looking at Idia’s disappearing figure, Malleus thought of the heavy words that still echoed in his mind. _Creep_. _Someone like me. Pretend I don’t exist._ Yet again, he wondered what could’ve made someone become like that. The only explanation that may make sense was that there was a great amount of pain ingrained in Idia Shroud’s heart, strong enough to topple any appropriate social decorum which spoke its truth equally to everyone as a last cry for help. If that was the case, Malleus felt that there must be something to be done that could make it go away. But, before Malleus could think of any plan how to get closer, Lilia pointed out they needed to continue the magift training as their time in the Colosseum was limited. _Right. They were here for magift and magift only._ As he took his broom in his hands, any lingering thoughts seemed to have disappeared in an instant. Refocusing on the magift practice in its entirety, Malleus let himself be absorbed in the sounds associated with the sport. He loved the sound of his broom gliding through air, the gentle sounds of offensive magic coming out of the magical pen, the spells hitting the brass disc…This sport truly made him feel alive. Motivated by his surroundings, he forced himself to postpone any thoughts he had of Idia until he had some time for himself. It would, indeed, be selfish if he ruined practice for others with a sloppy performance. With the tournament so close, he couldn’t risk it.

As the sun was starting to set, Professor Vargas made his way to the Colosseum and announced that they were to leave the premises as soon as possible. Malleus said his thanks and started packing up together with his team. Taking out the magical pen from the holder on his left sleeve he noticed that the pristine green stone was becoming cloudy. Maleus called for Lilia to go ahead with him to the dorm to discuss it and left it to Silver and Sebek to clean up.

Finding themselves in Lilia’s room, they were discussing the next step for the team. With the tournament being this close, he knew the team wanted to practice even more, but, he also figured that, if even he, a fae, showed blot in his magical stone, the burden on the team must be far greater than on him. However, he knew his team well and knew that they were all too invested right now and that being ordered to rest would bring discord. Malleus knew that Silver and Sebek would listen, but the problem was that the other three members who were with him through thick and thin of magift tournaments would probably not listen too much and would go on practicing in secret as they accumulated blot. Granted, it would always clear up a few days after the tournament, but Malleus couldn’t help but worry as the amount of blot incidents from the beginning of this year’s years spring semester drastically increased.

Staying silent for a moment, Lilia was taken aback by how perceptive Malleus had become. As his mentor, he was proud that his student finally managed to apply his analytical skills. 

“Then, there’s no reason to play down the severity of overblots happening, given the context. They’re not children. Lying by omittance would have far worse consequences in my humble opinion, but the final decision is on you, Malleus.”

“I understand. Thank you, Lilia.”

“Any time, my dear prince.”

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Sitting in the now lukewarm bathtub, Malleus was deep in thought. With the magift issue resolved, the only thing left to think about was Idia Shroud. Their interaction today made it painfully clear that behind the contact avoidance and the self-deprecating attitude lay a deeper sadness. A sadness he felt he needed to take away. That he could take away if he tried his best. Malleus knew that there was a gentle and kind soul below all that self-loathing. He would do anything in his power just to see a genuine expression of happiness from Idia, and not only when he’s watching something on a screen, although the latter showed him that Idia was capable of happiness, and all he needed was a little push. Malleus thought of a plan. Little by little, he could get closer to him and he could let him know how wonderful and precious he was. How cherished and loved he was. Although it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t partly motivated by getting closer romantically, the main reason would, in fact, be that Malleus couldn’t stand how oblivious to his good sides Idia was, and if he could get him to start loving himself enough so as not to say such cruel things anymore, that would be all the reward he needed. That, and the chance to see that precious smile more often.

Malleus shivered when he got out of the bathtub. Granted, it was his fault for sitting in lukewarm water for too long, but he despised being cold nonetheless. He quickly dried himself and then wrapped himself in the thickest bathrobe as he rushed to his room to stand in front of the fireplace. When he felt sufficiently warmed up, he picked up his sleeping tunic and briefs from the closet and got dressed. Wearing a warm wool cardigan over it, he sat at his desk and wrote a few letters to be sent to the Valley. He wrote about the interesting things he overheard about the land of Pyroxene, but the majority of his report was on the Isle of Lamentation. After finishing, he realised that his report was too imbued with personal feelings, and as such unfit for his Queen, so, he scratched out all such parts and got to rewriting them on a separate piece of paper. He kept the originals in his notebook, next to the poorly-cut picture of Idia from the newspapers. This report was for himself.

After finishing the Queen’s letter first, Malleus then proceeded with replying to other dignitaries about the various charity projects he was engaged in, and, after getting the feeling that all their efforts would go to waste due to the lack of resources directed towards war, Malleus felt his mood turn sour. Forcing himself to finish the task for today, he had Lilia send the letters out and then crawled in his bed and devoted his time to the two Gao Gao Dragon-kuns until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	11. Restoration

On the final day of the Magift tournament, Idia woke up pretty early. Unwilling to move from the warmth of his sheets, he lay in bed for some time, dreading that it was already Sunday. He had some leftover coursework due tonight that he’d been putting off, and in addition, he had overdue work on a few of his side-projects. Making a to-do list of all the things he had to do on his phone, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. He didn’t intend on neglecting his work for this long. He promised himself he would get on with it after finishing that damn embarrassing Stargazer performance, but he didn’t keep the promise.

It’s been weeks from then and he was still feeling the burnout from performing in public. Idia contemplated whether doing any of the tasks he wrote down had any sense anymore. The world didn’t fall apart in his absence and he had the feeling that nothing he did or didn’t do would make any difference. Even if he skipped the schoolwork this time, his grades wouldn’t suffer that much. Probably. He wondered why he had become like this. There was a time when he used to enjoy giving himself as many tasks to complete as he could and when cleared to-do lists brought him immense pleasure and a sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately, that Idia was long gone and everything he was capable of feeling right now was apathy. There was no spark in his life in this point in time that would help him focus or stay motivated for long enough to finish what he started. He was desperately hoping that the upcoming Halloween festivities would get him out of this current pathetic state, but alas, the _Pumpkin knight_ project was still just a draft, sloppily saved on his desktop. Ortho’s retina upgrade as far away as the next galaxy. Opening a search engine, he was met with the well-known disdain of the happy-sounding, _positive vibes only_ results he was getting for _how to get motivated to do stuff._ Closing the tab, he logged into a random game he started two weeks prior but he closed it just as fast. He knew that getting distracted only worked for a short time and that the buildup from procrastinating would only make things worse. And yet, knowing all that, he couldn’t help but staring at his ceiling for a good 20 minutes more, mind filled to the brim with thoughts of his own shortcomings.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door interrupting the negative spiral he was going down. It was one of the Ignihyde students who always brought him food. Setting the food tray on a nearby table, the blonde asked about today’s broadcast.

“Will you be supervising today?”

“Actually, CERBERUS is offering tech support. But…I might be observing in case something goes FUBAR.”

“Understood, dorm leader. I’ll let the others know.”

Idia knew something was strange with him. This student would bring him his meals three times a day every day without fail and he couldn’t remember his name. He was certain he knew it before, but he felt like there was a sort of fog in his brain that couldn’t make the connection between the face and the name. Realising that his brain would deteriorate further if he continued doing absolutely nothing in his bed, Idia made it his first task to get up. As he shifted in his bed he was met with the realization that he had not showered in five whole days and at that moment he felt so dirty and disgusting in his own skin he jolted up from the bed, almost frantically ripping the filthy bed sheets off. He was a disgrace. Despite his overall sloppy appearance, cleanliness had been an integral part of Idia his entire life and he cursed at himself for letting him stoop so low that he didn’t take any care of himself. Grabbing his toiletry basket, he headed for the showers first. The food could wait.

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The showers were cold and empty, but as such offered comfort. The only sound present was an echo of running water hitting the hard graphite grey walls. As he undressed in the changing room, he took a glance at his phone again to see if there was any progress made in his favourite gacha game. Seeing there was nothing, he placed it in the locker, and his dirty clothes in a plastic bag. He also contemplated burning them. Making his way through the changing room with nothing but his toiletry basket in hand, Idia entered the shower room. Entering the farthest shower on the left, as usual, Idia let hot water douse him. Although he had been used to cold water first since childhood and had preferred it over any other temperature on a normal day, the abnormal amount of filth he felt was sticking to his body required scorching heat in order for Idia to feel normal again. His hair sizzled as it reacted to the tiny droplets. Squirting a handful of custom-made shampoo in his hands, Idia thought of his most striking, and at the same time most hated feature as he lathered his scalp in the tar-like substance. It reacted to the flames and filled the showers with a sweet, but strong fragrance of cinnamon and sandalwood. Idia was actually proud of this formula, because it was new and unconventional, and it didn’t leave him smelling like dirt and grass for a change. He then thought how much unnecessary science had been involved in this kind of hair. 

Aside from the shampoo, a random memory of his great-great ancestor who got public funding for research on _Shroud hair_ popped up and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Well, Einai Shroud, very-important-to-say-the-title PhD, concluded that, although their hair looked like flames on the outside, it wasn’t in fact, literal fire as Idia was so prone to saying to anyone who wondered. For all the scientific explanations, it burned people just the same, and it was completely irrelevant that thin strands of heat-conductive proteins and not fire were what ruined your previous… _No, we are not thinking about that._

Shifting his focus back on public funding, he thought how the bar for such research was so low in the past. That pointless research got so much money back in the day, and now even when the most innovative and life-saving projects wouldn’t be eligible for receive even half the funding. The Isle was really something. When he assumes public office, he will make it his personal mission to change the current sorry state of affairs. Maybe he could even institutionalise the same young researcher funds his family company has and make them available on the country level. It would be a great way to circumvent old farts that keep getting all in exchange for nothing. After rinsing out his hair, he moved on to washing the rest of his body as he let his mind wander. His thoughts on the absurdities of the Isle’s current system and his solutions were interrupted by stinging sensations on his left hand. He didn’t realise how hard he was scrubbing with his washcloth until now. The skin around his elbows was reddening and it must’ve been horrible as he could he see the invasive pink colour even in the dim blue lights of the showers. The hot water became too much to bear as well, so Idia turned the shower handle to cold. _Meh, I’m clean enough._ Leaning on the heavy shower door, he closed his eyes and let his mind go wander. The splashing of water and the sizzling sounds combined with rivets of cold water hitting his skin would always help him refocus better than any white noise he tried playing. When he felt his mind was relaxed and level-headed enough, he stopped the water and patted himself dry.

On his way back, he saw some commotion in the Lounge, where a bunch of unfamiliar faces gathered around a makeshift broadcasting station. There were some Scarabia students as well, taking on the role of commentators. When did he approve of that? Getting back to his room, he only then realised that it was completely empty. He panicked for a moment but then he had to remind himself that today, in fact was the main event of the magift tournament. Why were there gaps in his memory as of lately? Why wasn’t it until now that he remembered paying Azul an exorbitant amount of money just so his baby brother could sit in the front rows?

Ah, lying in his bed all day wasn’t good for him after all. Why did he let himself be this stupid?

After replacing his bedsheets and finally making his bed, Idia sat at his desk, the tray with cold food in front of him. He logged into the broadcasting platform as an admin, but he moved it on one of his auxiliary screens and lowered the volume to be just barely audible so it wouldn’t interfere with his schoolwork, but that he could still hear in case something went wrong. The broadcast seemed to have been going well and the Scarabia commentator was really good at his job. There was still around 30 minutes left before the player parade started. The broadcast showed the food stalls in the main road and Azul explaining something about the organisation and whatever. Glancing at the side screen, he grinned at the sight of his friend on the broadcast, because he was always amazed at people being good in settings like this. Azul was a natural when it came to selling and marketing things. Just now, he was singing songs of praise about some food. Remembering he actually had food in front of him, he started taking small bites as he typed away.

He thought he was going crazy for a moment as he heard screams following the paragraph he read on the psychological warfare from 300 years ago. Then the words “the crowd of fans has almost trampled over Malleus Draconia” came and Idia felt his blood freeze. Glancing at the scrambled broadcast, there seemed to be commotion in the main street. Rushing out to the commons, he asked for a status update. The camera crew was also behaving frantically, and all the footage was a mess. CERBERUS broadcasted a panicked phone call from Crowley that they must cut to a different footage ASAP or it would be a PR disaster, throwing the broadcasting team in an even deeper frenzy. Idia stepped in and plugged a wonderful montage of last year’s highlights.

Observing the commotion footage, Idia sighed. He understood Malleus was popular and that every time he showed up in the tournament it would have fans all over the place trying to touch him or talk to him. It was understandable. What was strikingly odd was that the camera crew behaved the same as the crowd. His dorm was not so unprofessional to get starstruck in the middle of the job. A few minutes later, Idia could confirm that everything was back in order, and that there were no more Diasomnia players in the main street. He assumed they were already inside. Opening one of the cameras from the Colosseum to check, he saw a horrendous sight. Something, or, someone was going full berserker mode in the field. He couldn’t tell exactly who it was, but it was terrifying. Magic was flying around, and people were getting hurt. Malleus was nowhere in sight and there were students evacuating. His thoughts turned to Ortho and he commed him to confirm his whereabouts. He sighed a breath of relief when Ortho picked up after a pause. Luckily, Ortho wasn’t in the Colosseum yet and he wasn’t alone. He was in the school cafeteria with the lilac-haired Pomefiore first-year whose name Idia couldn’t remember for the life of him. Why couldn’t he remember things? This was strange.

“Nothing’s wrong, I was just wondering if you were having fun. Stay safe. Love you.”

Idia couldn’t take his eyes off the berserker he came to recognize as Leona Kingscholar. This was already the second overblot since the semester started. _What the_ …Has the entire college gone mad? Why were his peers engaged in combat with him? Where were the other, more responsible adults, whose job should be intervening in such things? Not Crowley, though, because he was more focused on damage control and the press than on the lives of his students. _Yikes_.

As the fighting subdued, Leona fell to the ground with a heart-piercing roar loud enough to be heard even with the volume down. Was he dead? What was going on? He asked the broadcast team but they didn’t even have time to pay attention to the Colosseum. They were already trying to edit the scoop Scarabia was doing about the crowd commotion per Crowley’s request, placing Malleus Draconia at the centre, giving him even more promotion. Back on the Colosseum screen, Idia saw the remainder of the organisation committee quickly cleaning up the mess. Everything had to be pristine and proper for the masses, after all. Idia scoffed.

After some time, the broadcast returned to normal and Idia knew his help wasn’t needed anymore. He let the other guys take over. Returning to his room, he shifted back to homework mode, until once again, the mention of Malleus Draconia’s name forced him to glue his eyes to the small side screen. Idia was glad he wasn’t hurt. He ended up watching the first few rounds without noticing it, mesmerised by Malleus’ elegance. He didn’t understand magift in the slightest, but even he could tell that what Malleus was doing was superb. Had he known Malleus looked like this, he would’ve gone to watch their trainings on the pretense of worrying for his baby brother. _You really are a creep._ Idia looked away from the screen when Malleus wasn’t on it, and managed to finish the essay for Trein early. Printing it out on summoning paper, he sent it away to the professor, inconvenienced by not being able to use email for submissions. It wasn’t like Trein was computer illiterate. Having won the tournament, the amazing montages of Diasomnia students were plastered all over the screen. Malleus was smiling, and it was so beautiful to see. He was beautiful. _Can you hear yourself? How stupid that just sounded._ _Of course a fae prince would be beautiful. The absurdity of having to state it was really dumb of you. You just said the same thing as water is wet. Good job. Excellent observational skills._

Moments later, there was a call from Ortho who reported he was invited to Diasomnia’s celebration party as an _important guest_ and that Malleus personally said Idia should come as well. Lying to his brother on not finishing Trein’s essay yet, Idia all but declined but said he would come if he got it done soon so Ortho wouldn’t get sad. Feeling slightly freer than on the beginning of the day, Idia finally moved the Halloween project off his desktop into a proper folder and started working on it as he lost track of time. He was certain he ate two more meals at some point in the day although he couldn’t remember. He was starting to succumb to the fatigue that only came with productivity, so, content with how his day turned out, he went to the showers once again for a quick shower, and then slumped down in his bed between his fresh sheets and fell asleep with the happy thought that he was finally getting back on track.

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Although Malleus didn’t really care about human titles, winning after putting effort into something felt good. Accepting that trophy from Crowley as the crowds chanted and clapped made him euphoric. It was a silly human-like sentiment, as he was well aware, but it compensated for the feeling of being validated in a way, and it was a type of recognition he couldn’t get at home. There, he was praised for just existing, and it was tiring. The reason why he liked magift so much was that it was not your birth, or your name, but only your effort that made you successful. Right now, Malleus was at the top of his game and he felt unstoppable. Next year, the college he’s come to love as his second home might have the chance to stand up to the Royal Sword Academy in the tournament. Next May, the Night Raven College will finally end their rival’s 99-year-long winning streak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	12. Banquet

Crowley’s champion announcement was followed by beautiful and elaborate fireworks. After accepting the dorm trophy, the team slowly made their way to the changing rooms. Malleus handed the heavy trophy to Sebek who insisted on carrying it instead and looked at the crowd one last time. Right above the entrance to the changing rooms, he saw a blue flame so familiar to him. The little Shroud was waving at the team with all his power, his expressive eyes showing joy. Stopping in his tracks, Malleus called out to Ortho to come to him. Ortho left his seat, and was on the field in the next moment. Entering the field from a spectator seat was usually against the rules, but Malleus did not care for such trivialities. The game was over, and, if we discuss semantics, Ortho Shroud did not ‘put his feet on the ground of the stadium’ at all.

“You were so cool, Malleus Draconia! Especially the initial offensive! A sharp turn on the right while standing on your broom, and then an upward surge followed by two consecutive firebolts! The other team never stood a chance! So cool! Teach me how to do that!”

“Of course, little one. But, more on that later. I hereby wish to invite you to our dorm celebration. My invitation extends to your brother as well. I apologise for the short notice, but I hope my intention is well-received.”

“Is it really alright? I mean, I’m not…”

“Oh, but you must! You are an unofficial member of the Diasomnia team, little one. You've done so much for us and this is the least I could do. Ortho Shroud, you are invited as my personal guest, and as a friend. It would bring me great pleasure if you could take part in the festivities.”

“I will! Definitely. I will.”

“Then follow me.”

Malleus Draconia sat through a series of interviews and autograph sessions in the adjoint room to the magift stadium, and Ortho Shroud was happy to be part of the experience he otherwise would never get to see. After wrapping up, the Diasomnia team, and Ortho, retired to the comfort of their dorm to celebrate their victory.

Ortho, as an honorary guest of the team, stood in the lavishly decorated Diasomnia commons, eyes wide in surprise at how quickly this celebration had been organised. Had they already expected victory and ordered for a banquet beforehand or did they rely on fae magic to get everything ready? He will ask brother later. Brother will know. He always does. Speaking of brother, he was sad he didn’t come but also, he was glad that his brother finally did something other than lay in bed for days on end. Ortho was shown his seat which was at Malleus’ table, although at a far end. Regardless, he was being shown the highest honour. Malleus wasn’t there yet, but the empty chair in the middle of the U-shaped table was most likely for him. Right next to him were some unknown adults, probably scouts or dignitaries from the magift world, followed by a few fae adorned in glittering gowns. Someone he didn’t know was seated next to Ortho. He was hoping that Silver would be there, but he was on active guard duty with Sebek. 

The celebration started with a loud trumpet sound, announcing the arrival of Prince Malleus Draconia, heir apparent to the Valley of Thorns, and His Lordship, Lilia Vanrouge, protector of the Realm.

The atmosphere felt very royal, not what he imagined a magift victory celebration would look like. Malleus and Lilia were dressed in elaborate clothing, with long capes dragging behind them as they walked. He couldn’t help but remember the fairy tales from faraway lands his brother would read to him at bedtime. How strange it was to be experiencing a fairy-tale in real life. As Malleus and Lilia took a seat, the unintrusive sound of a stringed instrument unfamiliar to Ortho could be heard, after which the feast began. Ortho scanned the sound and found out it was a very rare type of fae harp, which not many were able to afford. The food was brought moments after and the table was arranged in such a nice way that Ortho took a picture and sent it to his brother to see. He also took pictures of Malleus and Lilia. Since he didn’t eat, there was nothing else for him to do but listen to the conversations going around him. The person sitting next to him paid no attention to him whatsoever. Instead of being sad for being ignored, he thought how this sitting spot would be ideal for his brother. The conversations were boring and mundane, but so human, and Ortho managed to find entertainment in them.

In the middle of the feast, Sebek rang a bell and announced in a voice louder than his usual one that Malleus would be proposing a toast. The idle chatter subsided, and the harp music stopped in its entirety. Malleus got up, the black pearl decorations hanging from his horns swinging as he moved his head. Ortho started taking a video of the speech, mesmerised by the beauty and elegance of his magift friend.

“By the grace of the Queen of the Valley of Thorns, “

Malleus’ voice was clear, however, Ortho noticed he was the same as his brother whenever he was supposed to speak with someone. The only difference was that Malleus was much more stiff and didn’t show his uncomfort so openly, but the scans showed the same vitals as brother's.

“I welcome you, esteemed guests. Ladies, Gentlemen…and players. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who could make time and join this humble celebration today.

Today marks the third consecutive victory for Diasomnia and we are very proud to be able to celebrate it with all of you.”

Malleus gestured to the audience, his hands slightly shaking, but he continued the speech nonetheless. Ortho kept recording, hoping this could help his brother in the future.

“First, I would like to take this opportunity to thank her Excellency, Aoife Raleigh, the chairwoman of the Magift association for gracing us with her presence. Following, I thank the headmaster Dire Crowley, Professor Ashton Vargas, and the numerous other College staff that offered their unyielding support for this event to proceed as smoothly as possible. I would also like to thank Lilia Vanrouge, for his valuable guidance, and my good friend Ortho Shroud, for all the support he has given the team, and me, in the previous few weeks. I am extremely grateful to have you all here.”

Ortho was startled by being mentioned in such an official setting. He also took notices of increased glances coming his way. They all must’ve been surprised. In any case, he will show the recording to brother as soon as possible. This was the first time Ortho’s name was mentioned for an achievement of sorts. Even though it wasn’t something great like brother’s, he still hoped his brother would be proud.

“Now, allow me to express my gratitude to the main stars of this celebration.”

There was a short pause in Malleus’ speech, which was a cue for the Diasomnia magift team members to stand up from their seats. After saying their names one by one, Malleus continued.

“I commend you for the tremendous amount of work you put from the previous tournament to now. I thank you for the excellent teamwork you showed at every step of the way, and it joys me to see the efforts of your hard work be rewarded with victory. This celebration is in your honour.”

There was a round of applause. As it died down, Malleus ended his speech.

“It is an honour to stand here in the same room with these shining hopes of magift. I can’t help but to also look forward to your futures and I invite all the dignitaries present here today to engage in conversation with these talented and hardworking young men. Once again, thank you all for making this occasion so special. Now, let us resume our banquet.”

Slumping down in his chair as he wiped the smile off his face, Malleus let out a sigh. Lilia told him ‘well done’. Ortho saw in his scanner that Malleus’ heartbeat was getting significantly more irregular, and that it was just one level before his brother’s distress mode. He didn’t know if it were appropriate to leave his seat or not, but, Ortho was more terrified of what might happen to his friend because this was so similar to his brother's panic attacks, so, he approached Malleus anyways. Sebek was about to step in but Malleus dismissed him. He knew Ortho’s actions were never those of malice.

“Your body scan shows distress, Malleus Draconia. Let me help.”

“I will be alright, little one, but thank you for your concern. I would like you to help me with something, though.”

As he said it, he took out his prized possessions out of his sleeve, the two Gao Gao Dragon-kun toys and handed them quickly to Ortho, looking around to see if anyone noticed the exchange. Assured no one did, he explained his reasons.

“It would be inappropriate for me to deal with this here, but they are getting rather hungry.”

“Sure.”

“But, I am afraid I’ll have to ask you to do the maintenance outside of the banquet hall. Would it be a problem?”

Ortho shook his head and Malleus smiled at him. His heartbeat was becoming steadier and Ortho wondered how he could do it on his own. His brother couldn’t. “Silver will keep you company, but be sure to come back soon, lest someone gets suspicious.”

Ortho nodded and the nod was followed by an apology from Malleus.

“Forgive me for imposing all these rules on you, but in public settings one must always be on their guard.”

Silver approached Ortho, and after the boy said Malleus had nothing to apologise for, the two of them made their way to a smaller room adjoining the hall. Malleus thought it interesting, how both of the Shroud brothers didn’t accept apologies like everybody else. They would usually dismiss whatever you were apologising for as nothing important. It was refreshing in a sense, but sometimes, Malleus wanted absolution.

Silver and Ortho were now sitting one across another, playing with the toys. Ortho also had the Gao Gao his brother bought him so they were playing minigames with three devices and were having a lot of fun. Ortho liked Silver because he was always kind and gentle to everyone, even when he was fighting with Sebek, who Ortho found was a little scary. Most of their conversation was about the game itself, but then it shifted to Idia when Silver suddenly asked what he was like.

“He’s nice and kind. A genius. Why?”

“No, nothing. Just wondering.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Your pulse is increasing. I can tell if you’re lying. I can also tell you’ll fall asleep in 10 seconds.”

Silver woke up a few minutes later, remembering their conversation and Ortho’s prediction. Holding one of Malleus’ Gao Gaos, Ortho asked:

“So…why are you curious about brother?”

Remembering Ortho’s ability to distinguish something wrong by reading someone’s vitals, he knew that he couldn’t get out of it easily, so he just admitted that there was another reason for asking about the mysterious Ignihyde dorm-leader.

“Sebek thinks everything in this world is a danger to Lord Malleus and, that way of thinking has rubbed off on me, I’m afraid. I am sorry for allowing myself to think this way about your precious brother, but I swore an oath to protect Lord Malleus at any cost. Lord Malleus will be coming to your dorm alone in the following week, so, I would like to know if there are any dangers. Pardon my bluntness.”

“I understand, Silver. Brother always says we should protect the ones we love. That’s why I’ll always be by his side.”

Relieved by Ortho's answer, Silver inquired further about the interesting stance the blue-haired child had.

“Very noble of him. But, can’t he protect himself?”

“Of course he can, but I’m stronger than him.”

That much was obvious, as he spent the last few weeks playing magift with the robot child, but Silver felt there was something more behind the surface, so he dug deeper, subtly asking about Idia’s magic. He knew that Idia was one of the smartest students in the school, but since he was his senior he never got to witness him use magic. Ortho said that Idia relied on technology to do most things, and that he never used magic outside of classroom assignments when he actually bothered to show up to class. This checked out with the information his friend on guard duty told him on the day Idia came to Diasomnia for Ortho. That he didn’t even use his pen even though he was being attacked by magic. Silver asked for the reason why, hoping it was something Ortho can say. He was relieved and intrigued by the little boy’s answer.

“Brother never uses magic because seeing others being hurt by it hurts him too. But don’t worry. He would never hurt anyone, especially not Malleus Draconia.”

The last part was especially significant. Why was there the need to use ‘especially’? Silver was surprised by how easily it was to get Ortho to talk, especially if the topic was his brother, so he, once again, delved deeper for the reason why.

“Because he likes him. _Likes_ likes. A lot. He just doesn’t want to say…oh, no.” Ortho pressed his hand to his mask, where the mouth should be. This gesture was so human that it took Silver by surprise. More so than the fact that Idia Shroud had feelings for his Lord.

“Ortho…?”

Ortho started panicking, but Silver tried his best to calm him down. The boy was afraid that his brother would get angry at him for letting out such a secret and he was worried that might hurt his brother because he never lied to him before. Smiling softly as to reassure his friend, Silver put his hand on Ortho’s shoulder. There was a brief warning of a hostile invasion in Ortho’s interface but it subdued in a quarter of a second. Brother’s new update was already working well. He must tell him that as soon as possible.

“Calm down. It’s okay. Let me tell you a secret too. Okay? I can keep yours and you can keep mine in return. How does that sound?”

“Fair. You really won’t tell anyone?”

“I swear it on my honour. Your secret is safe with me.”

Ortho then nodded in anticipation. Silver lowered his voice into a whisper.

“I overheard that Lord Malleus likes your brother too. _Likes_ likes.”

“Really? He does?”

Silver nodded. “I wasn’t supposed to know this either.”

Both of them laughed, and Ortho calmed down now when he had an accomplice of sorts.

Just as he was about to confirm to Silver that he won’t tell anyone, Sebek stormed into the room yelling, which startled both of them.

“What are you scheming in there?!” he asked, looking around at any traces of potential dangers, landing his gaze on Ortho. Silver clicked his tongue at the brazen attitude.

“Why are you always so loud? We were just talking. Is there something you need?”

“You’re on guard duty. Off you go.”

“Don’t boss me around, Sebek. But, I’ll go. For Lord Malleus, not because you said so.”

Silver nodded to Ortho, and he nodded back, a non-verbal confirmation of their ‘pact’.

Now, Sebek was left in the room with the small Shroud and he didn’t know what to do. He was never good with children. Trying to break the ice, spoke of magift and their trainings. Ortho’s never had a conversation with Sebek before, and he was scared of him even before he knew he could command thunder, but he tried his best to talk to him. In the end, their conversation didn’t progress much and was rather dull.

Clearing his throat, Sebek suggested Ortho to come back to the main hall. Picking up the Gao Gaos, he followed behind the first-year student.

Ortho realised that half of the guests were already gone, and that only the Diasomnia students were left, enjoying the celebration. Malleus was definitely more relaxed now and was smiling not out of decorum, but because he seemed to be happy. Ortho figured that it would be alright to hand him the Gao Gaos back right now. It was already around 22 PM and the dorm curfew was approaching. He then said his goodbyes to Malleus and the rest of the guys, thanking them for today and congratulating them on the win once again.

“Good night, little one”, spoke Malleus, and Ortho waved, repeating the same sentence.

When Ortho came back to his room, he was met with a super rare sight. His brother was sleeping before midnight, and by the looks of it, having been asleep for quite some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	13. Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone, I hope you have a great year 🥰

Ever since he managed to get his lifestyle back in normal, Idia kept himself busy, the thrill and the rush of creativity coming back, fulfilling him as it used to. He almost forgot today was the highly-anticipated _Overblow_ watch party until the dorm AI reminded him the first thing in the morning. Thankful for CERBERUS being this prepared when Idia wasn’t, he continued with the final checks. The internet connection was satisfactory, the power supply (just in case) everywhere in the dorm. Drinks, snacks, lazy bags, everything was in order for a perfect Ignihyde marathon. CERBERUS was giving him the updates regularly. As the clock ticked 12 p.m. Idia placed the AI in silent mode, pressed play and realized that, in the end, Malleus Draconia didn’t come. Of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t. It was silly of him to think otherwise. It was sillier that Idia got his hopes up when he was the one who heavily suggested to Malleus not to come in the first place. Just because Malleus was friends with his little brother didn’t mean he would tag along for Idia’s weird hobbies. This was fine. He couldn’t coexist with a person who didn’t like _Overblow_ anyways.

Idia was met with a surprise when he felt he was being watched as he went outside the room for some popcorn after the third part’s credits rolled.

“Malleus Draconia!” Ortho shouted, appearing behind Idia’s leg all of a sudden.

The fae prince was nestled in a lazy bag in the lounge and the shock of it all was so big that Idia dropped his bowl, unpopped kernels falling everywhere around the floor. A small device activated with a beep and started cleaning immediately. Where did he come from? _When_ did he come? Why was he not informed? Malleus was quick to make his way towards Idia. Too quick. Picking up the bowl, he handed it back to Idia with a smile. Reluctantly, he took it from Malleus’ hands and he could’ve sworn he felt their fingers touching for a brief second. Shocks went down his spine and he was, once again, lost for words. Ortho, on the other hand, was as talkative as ever.

“Oh, I am so glad you could come today! Brother was really worried that you didn’t like him anymore and…”

“ORTHO!” Idia yelled, his cheeks flushing and feeling hot. He was lucky that he usually didn’t visibly blush, but he felt it just the same.

Malleus laughed. “Oh, I could never not like your brother, little one.” Malleus looked at Idia as he said the word like, but he got no reaction, as Idia was averting all his focus on the small round thing cleaning up around their feet.

“I am truly sorry for being late. I was…delayed, but I came here as soon as I could. I think I only missed the first few minutes.”

“Um…” Idia didn’t know how to comment on that, and wanted to thank him for coming, but, that was too awkward. In his weird mind, changing the topic to popcorn would definitely make the situation less weird and just as he was about to ask, Malleus already had something else to talk about, although his focus was on Ortho.

“Oh, this show is so interesting. I really like the antagonist. Truly a genius in his own right. All the heroes pale in comparison to him.”

“You’re boring! Just like brother. I like the main heroine because she’s the best! Can’t change my mind.”

“Well, I do agree she has her own charms, but, I prefer diligent, secretive and mysterious individuals opposed to those using brute force.”

Glancing at his phone, Idia finally saw a notification from CERBERUS that Malleus Draconia has arrived, timestamped at 14:48. Well, he was right about the ten-minute thing, but he skipped the entire first part. However, Idia could appreciate that he actually showed up, albeit his time management was pretty loose. Note to self: never put CERBERUS on silent mode again. He completely shut off from the conversation, but he could feel Malleus’ gaze on him for whatever reason.

Malleus was disappointed. Once again, his words and glances went by Idia completely unnoticed. Instead, the fiery-haired man focused more on a piece of plastic in his hand. Although Malleus thought of his attempt at flirting as rather neat, as it was the all-around charmer Lilia who had taught him. It seemed to have no effect on Idia. He must rethink his strategy. Alone.

Shifting uncomfortably in his place, Idia finally brought up the popcorn. Clumsy with his words, he just went to the popcorn machine and took another bowl and filled two of them. Going back, he handed one to Malleus, who accepted it with both of his hands. Once again, he felt a shock go through his body. It was surely just static this time. Just…static. Nothing else. Apologising awkwardly, although not entirely sure for what, Idia spoke into his phone, ordering the dorm AI to increase humidity. As if it would solve anything. And, as a slap in the face, the AI retorted with:

“The humidity level in the commons is at the optimal level, dorm leader. Would you still like to continue?” Feeling stupid, he cancelled the command. If that wouldn’t work, he had to think of alternatives to get away from this bad scenario he found himself in. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was covering up the tracks of something bad before someone caught him in the act even though it was, in fact, _his_ dorm and _his_ home. He glanced at Malleus for a brief second, with the intention of inviting him to his room, as a proper host. Idia stopped in his tracks and forgot what he was going to when he saw Malleus already munching on the popcorn, he was handed a moment ago. Once again, he blamed Azul for any thoughts he had about Malleus. Since it was all an implanted memory, he would absolutely not stare at the adorable sight of Malleus eating popcorn one by one. No, he had a film to play from now on. He would not think of how elegant he looked when he did something as basic as eating, and he would most definitely not be making up scenarios in his head where the two of them would share a bowl and their hands would…No. He should not be thinking about this. He mustn’t. _Who do you think you are? Know your place._

Gaining his composure, Idia practiced the invitation in his head but backed out in the last moment. If he were to be punished for being a bad host, so be it, but he must not let that man in his room again. He remembered the physical proximity from last time and how it made him feel for a week. Besides, the lazy bags in the commons were comfortable enough.

Suddenly, as if he were possessed by some evil daemon, he said the opposite of what he was thinking. Ortho, seeing that his brother really went along with the invitation added fuel to fire and Malleus had a hard time rejecting it. So, the three of them made their way to the cramped room.

▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲

Part four was always the hardest one for Idia. It involved not one, not two, but three tragic scenes where his favourite characters perished in various ways. No matter how many times he watched it, there were some things he could never get over and that would frustrate him for being pointless deaths. As his favourite antagonist turned antihero finally got some sort of absolution from those he loved, he was met with an untimely death and it always triggered a reaction in Idia that would automatically send tears falling down his face. In between the sobs he felt grabbing a warm hand. Did he really hold Malleus’ hand? On his own? Was he _insane_? He glanced at Malleus to see if what he did was unforgivable, he saw tears in Malleus’ eyes as well. Malleus seemed to be so engrossed in the story that he didn’t pay attention to their hands touching. It’s something. This reaction to _Overblow_ told Idia that maybe, just maybe, they could get along. _I retract my initial statement._

Neither of them bothering to let go of the other’s hand, they spent the remainder of part four and the beginning of part five like that. Had Malleus not sneezed and used that hand to cover his nose, they probably would’ve stayed like that until the end of part five. The sudden disappearance of warmth that Malleus’ hand provided felt lonely. Idia couldn’t come to terms with what was happening to him right now. A paradox. He would usually do his best to stay away from any sort of physical touch because he hated it, but now, it felt like it was something that was missing all this time and he craved for it. Of course, it was too awkward to do it again, out of the blue, so, suppressing his thoughts and desires, Idia refocused on the film he was watching. His hand was still feeling cold.

The moment part five credits started rolling, Malleus turned to Idia. Dreading he would be asked about the hand holding thing, Idia tried not to look anywhere in Malleus’ general direction.

“Idia…I need to ask you something.” Malleus’ tone was dead-serious.

Something was…off. Since when they were on a first-name basis? Yes, it happened only once before, but, what happened to the condescending ‘Shroud’ he would always say? Well, no matter. Idia welcomed the change as he hated being reminded of his cursed surname.

“Sure…”

“Are you not feeding your dragon properly?”

“Excuse me…?”

“The sound coming from your pocket. It’s feeding time.”

Taking a second to realise what Malleus was saying, the beeping MIDI sound of Gao Gao Dragon-kun appeared again. Talk about deus ex machina _._ Idia undid the zipper of his hoodie pocket and took out a blue and black horned plastic toy and pressed on some buttons. 

Malleus spoke, and although Idia wasn’t looking at his face, he could tell by the tone of his voice that if Malleus were an animated character right here and now, there would’ve definitely been shooting stars in his eyes.

“I didn’t know you had one! Since when?”

“Yeah…after we collected your wish, I kind of got nostalgic so I got two for me and Ortho.”

“I know Ortho has it…but YOU? Oh, how thrilling. Well, I’m glad. To think that you laughed at me so much for having it and now you’re the playing it just the same…” Malleus’ laugh filled the room. Idia waited for him to stop, although he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. Hearing it felt like getting a rare item and it was already the second time to witness it. His laugh was beautiful. Like everything about him. _You’re saying obvious things again._

“I wasn’t laughing at you, specifically. I was just…surprised because it’s so retro. That’s all.”

“So, would you be my friend?” Malleus was touching Idia’s hand again.

Idia’s mind was in turmoil and he felt himself disconnect. _What’s with the touching? It feels nice though. What were they talking about? Ah, something about being friends. As if that could ever happen._

“I’m…not that great of a friend, Mr Malleus. To be completely honest with you, I don’t know how friendships work exactly and…”

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, he felt extremely stupid as he saw Malleus’ Gao Gao hanging from his long finger. Of course he meant the toy. _Imbecile._ Without a word, he enabled infrared and handed his device to Malleus, then got up with their empty bowls of popcorn and went to the commons in a pathetic attempt to shake off the awkwardness of the situation. When Idia came back to the room, he was met with that dashing smirk and kind words he didn’t expect.

“I think you are a great friend, and I accept your request.”

So…what was this weird chain of events? Was this how you make friends? Were they friends now? Did Malleus Draconia consider him, the disgusting recluse of the cursed Shroud family of all people, a friend? Why? He’s never done anything worthy of being anyone’s friend, especially not for Malleus. Idia was confused. Was it really alright for him to be friends with someone as amazing as Malleus? Also, what request?

“I’m not that amazing.”

Malleus’ words startled him. He didn’t realise that he said anything out loud. Why was he always being this careless and blurting out stupid stuff? Ah, the embarrassment of it all. _Oh Shit. How much did I say?_

“We held hands. To the fae, it represents a request for friendship. “The request came from you, which I will gladly accept.”

Idia felt as if air had left his lungs. He had no idea that there was a custom like this. In his defence, how could he? On the other hand, it was completely his fault. Grabbing Malleus’ hand like that, like some sort of _pervert_ , what was he thinking? The dread was probably showing on his face because Malleus continued talking, although with slight concern showing on his face.

“I assume you are not familiar with fae customs and you did not know. To avoid misunderstandings among cultures, you may retract your request just this once, if you wish. But, customs and everything aside, I would truly like us to be friends. Not just our Gao Gaos.”

This confirmed to Idia that fae are scary and unreadable and that it was best not to get involved. It was best not getting involved with anyone, for starters.

“I retract my request.”

…is what Idia was a million percent certain he said. Then **why** did “Yeah…that would be…really nice. I…would like that.” come out instead? Yes. He is _insane._ He really dug himself a hole there. Good job. Now he’ll have another reason to constantly feel inadequate until the day Malleus decides to leave him for good. _Yay._

“Now you can’t get rid of me as easily as before.” Malleus overemphasised an evil laugh of sorts, intending to sound more comical than threatening and he took Idia’s hand in his. Idia’s face was showing a range of emotions, and, afraid of letting them show he lowered his head as low as he could, but one brief moment was enough for Malleus to read them. Anxiousness, uncertainty…and happiness. Content with being able to go forward with his mission to get closer to Idia Shroud, he spoke an ancient oath.

“You have accepted me as your friend, and I accept you. For whenever your heart is not at ease, I will stay by your side. All your sorrows, I will listen. All your joy, I will share. This is my oath to you, Idia Shroud, and I will keep it until the end of time.”

As he spoke the last part, there were yellowish-green flames emanating from Malleus and it engulfed them both, but, they didn’t feel like fire. Idia was dumbfounded. Before he could ask what that all was, and if he should make an oath too, Ortho said he wanted to do that too, because they were already friends.

With the corner of his eye, he could see the same thing happening with his little brother, but Idia was too shocked to move. He looked at his hands, they were still in the same position as if Malleus was still holding them, unmoving. The words of the oath still echoed in his head. _For whenever your heart is not at ease, I will stay by your side_. Idia felt tears falling down his cheeks but he didn’t know why. The sensation made him aware of his surroundings and he finally moved when he wiped the tears off. Turning around, so as to hide his face from view, he looked at the time. The next and final part was about to run in 6 minutes. All was good. He had enough time to calm down. Excusing himself, he went to the bathroom. He was splashing his face with cold water but the tears weren’t stopping. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, first time after the entrance ceremony and looked at his gaunt face. He had already come to terms that companionship would be his unreachable fruit branch. Then it hit him. Those were happy tears. A visceral reaction to having someone in his life who was willing to accept him as a friend so much that they would swear an oath _until the end of time_. His personal Tantalian punishment seemingly served in the most unexpected of moments. This is the only chance he’ll ever get and he must do his best not to shift into his self-sabotaging attitudes. The ‘until the end of time’ actually added to his motivation to do things right. He wouldn’t want Malleus Draconia to be sworn to an asshole for all eternity. He knew he had a lot of issues to fix before he could deem himself worthy of anyone, but, he’s going to have to start from something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	14. Oath

Idia came back to his room moments before the film started. Smiling back as an answer to Malleus’ question of whether he was alright, Idia took his seat next to him. Now when he thought about it, this would be their second time watching part 6. Strange how much has changed in such a short span of time. Now he was his _friend_ , apparently.

Having being given the entire context of the series, Malleus was now able to understand the plot and admittedly, enjoy the story altogether. This time, he was actually paying attention, but he occasionally let his mind wander as he cast his glances to the man sitting next to him. He seemed happier. Yes, he still laughed at the same parts as last time, but something was different about his reactions. Malleus couldn’t really tell what it was, but they felt more intense than before. He wanted to believe that it was his own doing, but there was also the possibility that he was jumping to conclusions as always and that actually, was imagining things he wanted to believe in. He will have to wait for an answer to that question. For now, he was just content that he was able to see Idia’s precious smile more than once today.

After the credits rolled, Idia got up and stretched. Looking at his guest still sitting on the floor, he asked whether he was hungry.

“Oh, I feel like I’ve outstayed my welcome. I should return to my duties. Thank you for all your hospitality and the entertainment you have provided me today. I am ever grateful. For everything.”

Idia didn’t want Malleus to leave right away. Not because he needed company. _Lies._ The gods would never forgive him if he let his guest return home hungry and without a gift. _Truth._

“That’s not the answer to my question, though. You should stay for dinner. We have pizza rolls. Are pizza rolls ok? They’re just the frozen ones from the store but they’re quite good when you warm them up properly and add a ton of cheese on top. I swear. Also, last time you left before even trying my ice-cream cake. You owe me.” Idia grinned. “Do you have any allergies?”

Idia fussing over him was endearing, and a first one for him. That gave Malleus the impression that he was still welcome, figured it wouldn’t hurt if he stayed for a bit longer, so he nodded. Also he was really curious about the ice-cream cake now. His ice-cream cake? He said he had no allergies that he knew of and was fine with anything his host provided, to which Ortho offered to do an allergy scan, which was shut down by Idia for being inappropriate. He was also wondering if he could get that ‘sparkling water’ thing he had last time, so he asked, and Idia was happy to bring him a bottle from a small fridge below his desk. How convenient it was to hold a refrigerator there. Malleus wondered if he should invest in one too.

“Here. Alrighty! So, Ortho, could you check on the food? And…can you bring the thing?”

“The thing?” Idia looked at his little brother and slightly glanced towards Malleus so his brother would know what he was talking about.

“Oh, that thing! The one you made? Yeah! BRB.”

Malleus didn’t even have time to think what was going on because the moment Ortho left his room, Idia started talking, although rather fast as he paced around the room. Malleus couldn’t tell half of what he was saying, but he could piece together what Idia was rambling about.

“I am so sorry. I should’ve said an oath to you too. I definitely should have. Can I do it now? Is it too weird? Is it too late?”

“Shroud, calm down. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

At the mention of his surname, Idia stopped and leaned against his desk, his back turned to Malleus.

“Idia.” He said his name so softly that Malleus almost didn’t catch it. He was glad that he did, and at that moment he got the notion that Idia wanted to be called by his name. Did he, by any chance dislike being called by his surname? Had Malleus unintentionally been causing him grief all this time? He had been so used to calling people by surname that it always felt too personal to use one's first name. Well, if Idia wanted to be called by his first name, Malleus was happy to oblige. 

“Idia. Are you alright?”

Although it had only been the third time, Idia’s heart fluttered at the sound of his name coming from Malleus’ lips. It felt really good to be recognised as more than your surname and from which gene pool you came from. People calling him by his name were rare, so he cherished the fact he had at least one more person not calling him ‘Shroud’. It was a stupid sentiment on his part, but he couldn’t help it. _And holy shit he heard that? Just how good was his hearing?_

“So, as I was saying…ok, here goes. Wait for it.”

Idia let out a sigh, and he seemed to be preparing for something, both of his hands made a calming gesture as he breathed in and closed his eyes. Malleus was confused with what Idia was doing but he let him be. Something was definitely different. He had never seen him this lively before. He wondered what had happened in that genius head of his in such a short period of time. Breathing out, and then breathing in again, he started speaking in a shaky voice as he fidgeted with his hands he tried calming down. With only an occasional glance for the lack of his ability to keep eye contact, Idia mostly kept his head bowed.

“I can’t say a fancy oath like you and…I can’t promise anything like you because I’m a piece of shit and I’ve never done this before and I don’t know anything about friendships and stuff and I know there will be times when you’ll get fed up with me and that I’ll…I’ll royally fuck up a million times but I can promise you I will be as good of a friend as I am capable of, and I know this probably isn’t good enough but I will do my best to become a friend worthy of you and…and...yeah, that’s all.”

He raised his head and at the very end, forced himself to look at Malleus. If he kept staring down, he knew he would come off as dishonest and that was the last thing he wanted. He had to do things right for once.

Malleus was at a loss for words. He had given his oath of friendship to a more than a dozen of humans before, but never did any one of them return it. Granted, he never expected them to, but these sudden words and the thought Idia put into creating his own little oath, albeit chaotic, pleasantly surprised him. Feeling as if he had a small victory, he revelled in the fact that he was able to recognise the goodness in Idia and now he was being given a wonderful gift in return.

“I don’t have any fancy…oath magic or anything and I know it might be difficult for y…you to know if I’m telling the truth because honestly I don’t know either because I’m so going to epically fail…like, a lot, but I’ll try…I want to be your friend and I…”

“Idia…”

Malleus took Idia’s restless hands in and slightly bowed. He wanted to say as many words of gratitude as he could, an appropriate response fitting for the raw honesty of the words he received, however, nothing but a ‘thank you’ came out. Malleus, once again, stumbled to find the appropriate words, mostly because of the shock of witnessing two things for the first time in his life. Firstly, there was the oath. That alone would be enough. Secondly, the colour of Idia’s eyes. Idia’s eyes were not amber as he had thought before. They were lighter, and brighter. If he were to compare them to a jewel, they would be closer to heliodor, and they were so, so mesmerising when they weren’t being hidden away. Looking at their intensity for the first time made Malleus’ breath stop. He had never felt this in love with anyone before. All of his ‘great loves’ would pale in comparison with what he was feeling now. 

Oh, how he wished that in this moment he could wrap his arms around Idia and kiss him, shower him in love and gifts and give him his everything. But, shutting down that idea, Malleus slowly let go of Idia’s hands and straightened his back. They just became friends. It would be inappropriate. Maybe, some day…

Idia’s face felt hot and he couldn’t believe today’s turn of events. Malleus’ hands on his were warm and comforting and that warmth made him feel things he never felt for a 3D character. They were looking at each other’s eyes, and for the first time in forever, he didn’t feel stressed from that. The fae prince’s eyes were…magical, for the lack of a better word and Idia felt he could get lost in them if he looked for too long. He was okay with that. Still focusing on the warmth of Malleus’ touch, he wondered if it was truly alright for friends to hold hands like this because for him it represented a kind of intimacy you do not have with friends. He felt filthy for associating hand holding with more…intense feelings. These kinds of thoughts were most likely sacrilege not only for the fae but for every other culture, probably. But, it was as expected of a _deviant_ such as him. Grateful for Malleus letting go first, Idia smiled back to his ‘thank you’ and changed the topic altogether. This was too much for him to handle and he needed a safe haven, or he would lose his mind.

“So, how did you find the film?”

Malleus also welcomed the change. Although he was so much in love, he genuinely enjoyed the _Overblow_ series and was waiting for a moment to discuss it with his host.

“I am starting to see its value, I must admit. But tell me, is it possible to make such a device? Like they have? To read one’s minds?”

“Possible, yes, doable…not so much.” Not waiting for Malleus to ask more, because Idia knew he would, he explained further.

“It’s entirely possible if you use devices infused with mind-reading magic, but, as you might know, making such trinkets is strictly regulated worldwide. But, if you’re asking about the pure use of technology, like in the film, it’s still not a reality today, but, maybe, one day it could be. As long as there’s enough resources invested in brain waves and more sensitive receptors, microchips that could detect brain activity and actually code it to interpret what…Oh, sorry. I trailed off. Hypothetically, if there were such devices, they would probably be as strictly regulated like the magical ones. As they should.”

“I see.” Malleus had so many more questions, but Ortho came back as he carried a large plate of the infamous, store-bought pizza rolls, and a box coloured in black with silver shapes forming a symmetrical pattern reminiscent of the curtain blinds in this room. Idia seemed to really like that design, as it was also on his clothes, notebooks and a few other miscellaneous objects in the room Malleus did not know the name of. Ortho gently placed the oversized white plate on the small table and handed the box to Idia, who then handed it to Malleus.

“I made this...um. It’s nothing special but…if you like it…”

Opening the box carefully, there was a rather big gargoyle made of hard plastic with creases and crevices faithful to the real ones. Without him asking, Idia offered an explanation. He did that often, as if he was, in fact reading Malleus’ mind, and for which Malleus was grateful for.

“A while ago an indie developer reached out to me to test out their new 3D printing utility, so I was playing with it and I kind of ended up making this with the gargoyle drawings as a basis, but I just recently finished it and…sorry, it’s one of my earlier projects so it’s kind of crappy but…I didn’t want to throw it away...”

In that moment, Idia felt as if he had said something unacceptable and put his hand over his mouth so as to stop anything else as rude from coming out of it. He didn’t mean to say it like that. _Great job, you inarticulate idiot._

“I’m not…I’m not trying to give you my trash…I just meant…”

His mind was all over the place and all he could think about how, 15 minutes into their _friendship_ , Idia had already managed to fuck something up. Great.

Malleus took the gargoyle out of the box carefully and examined it with much care from all sides, as one would look at something precious. Idia observed Malleus’ bliss at being given a poorly executed 3D print as if he had been given the greatest riches and found it both out of character and in character at the same time. Then, seeing his reaction calmed him down a bit. Was this what friends actually did? Idia said something that could’ve definitely been interpreted as ‘I’m just using you to get rid of stuff I don't need on the pretence of politeness’ and yet, there were no sarcastic comebacks, insults played down as jokes, every word spoken dissected and used against him. Malleus was genuinely glad to have received his ‘present’. The fae prince…his friend, was too kind for his own good and all that kindness was seemingly wasted on someone like Idia. But, the other part of him, the one who knew that the model was decent, apart from that one glitch that happened in every printing iteration, the selfish part that wanted to believe he’d deserved any leftover bits and pieces Malleus had to offer.

“Oh, this is just wonderful, Idia! It has markings on the inside that denote different parts! Are you sure it’s alright for me to have it? It’s exquisite. It would feel wrong for me to just take it. It must’ve taken you long to make this.”

“No, no. It’s for you…I made it with you in mind but I...the software...but, me too, messed up a couple of places and I’m sorry for it not being better quality and I wasn’t sure if I should even give it to you because it’s not perfect…”

“Idia…I am grateful for the gift. Thank you.”

Malleus spun around with the gargoyle in his hands, not even hiding his excitement.

“This is wonderful! It’s definitely going to my research society’s room…which you still haven’t visited, by the way. Your club members did grace me with their presence, but not you. But, as you said to me too, no pressure. Come whenever you wish. Every Thursday…”

“… Thursday evening from 5 p.m. _Human time_.” Idia continued that sentence and Malleus was delighted that Idia remembered such a detail and expressed his happiness about it. Idia was also glad that his gift was received better than he expected. Next time, he will make a better and bigger one for Malleus.

Being invited to eat, Malleus took the puzzling but comforting human invention that was pizza, and which he enjoyed whenever someone from the royal court wasn’t around. He had never had pizza rolls before, but they were almost as good as the real thing. The three of them talked about the film for the remainder of the evening, eating and drinking with some Gao Gao bonding in between, as they discussed, and sometimes debated on who the best character was.

Having finished the last of the pizza rolls, Idia excused himself for a moment, leaving Ortho and Malleus alone for a bit. They continued talking about the film, and very soon, Idia was back with two large cupcakes with ice cream on top He had expected a _whole cake_ , but seeing this, Malleus was pleasantly surprised. Idia made these, and according to him, this was the only thing he could make.

After Malleus went back to his dorm, Idia was still in disbelief how ordinary today turned out to be, which was, in itself, strange. He spent the day in his room, watching films and eating pizza rolls with his friend. Yes, there was a bizarre experience of saying oaths, and yes, his friend was a fae prince who could smite him in a second if he wished to do so, but a friend was a friend, nevertheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	15. SSR Character

Although the magift tournament had ended and the campus was slowly shifting back to its regular class routine, Diasomnia never stopped practicing. After their post-victory banquet, some of the third years got provisional offers for professional teams, which in turn further fuelled the younger students to do their best as well. Malleus was proud of his dorm and he made it his priority to be with the team and guide them to the best of his abilities. He himself denied all the prospective offers because it was not something his Queen would allow, and also that would be taking away the spotlight from the young and hopeful human students he had come to love and cherish.

Getting everyone to play as much as possible rather than warming the benches would be his long-term goal until the big tournament in May. Ortho was still very welcome in Diasomnia and with the data upgrades Idia made, he was even stronger than before. Even Sebek warmed up to the little boy and they managed to find a few conversation topics. It turned out that they shared a love for books, especially high fantasy. What was the remainder of their conversation consisted of endless bickering about who was more awesome – Malleus or Idia, which would always end up in a draw. On such occasions, they would try to get anyone from the team to take sides for their argument, although Silver would always intervene and shut them both down before Malleus noticed any kind of discord and gotten angry with them wasting time on such trivial matters. Although both of them knew they would never sway the other person around, Sebek has gained much more respect for Ortho for being firm in his beliefs and has come to think that Ortho Shroud was a kindred spirit, although he was on occasion wary of the destructive power that little boy may be harbouring. Nevertheless, they seemed to have become friends, and Sebek would be careful not to use any magic that would sound like thunder. Of course, he would justify it as avoiding causing trouble for the Young Lord for having to call Ortho’s brother to ‘fix’ him every time, but, behind those words also lay a newly-found care towards the little robot child. He was almost becoming like a little brother he never knew he wanted.

Silver and Ortho were becoming even closer. After they ended up trading their secrets that time during the banquet, they both felt that they shared a secret connection. Sometimes, when no one was looking, they would talk about it. Both of them wanted to see the two important people in their lives happy. They both knew they needed it.

“Ortho, can I ask you for a favour?” Ortho accepted it by nodding and asking him more about the request. Silver whispered how he overheard that Malleus was devastated that no one came to his research room to which Ortho immediately suggested he should make his brother go.

“But, I think we should leave them alone.”

“Yeah…how do we do that? Hmm…how about, we ‘pretend’ we met and I tell you that you need to come with me and that’s urgent…”

“Brother will know, though.”

“Will he? If I say Sebek got hurt during practice?”

“That’s no good. I don’t think he would cooperate. He hates my brother.”

“He doesn’t…hate him. He’s just wary of everyone who is not fae. But you are right.”

The two of them were in deep thought.

“Oh…how about, I just invite you for emergency ‘magift business’?”

“That’s illogical. Malleus Draconia should also come if it is urgent.”

“Right. Then…how about I say I have a gift for you?”

“Not good. First, brother will get anxious because you are so vague. Second, I would actually have to go home with a gift.”

“You keep shutting my ideas down.”

“Because they wouldn’t work. I know my brother. He is the epitome of panic.”

Silver fell asleep in the blink of an eye and woke up.

“Oh, I know,” he said, his voice still sleepy. “I need you to scan me for sleep patterns so you can help me stay awake?”

“Definitely not going to work. Brother would want to come too. He would never miss the opportunity to get some new data.”

Silver had a defeated look on his face.

“Then, how about I offer to show you the kittens and mama cat I found behind the sports field?”

“There are KITTENS? TAKE ME THERE! But…wait...brother would go crazy if he knew and would just go with us and look for them. We need to find something else…if only I could find the answer how to that on my search engine…”

“That’s it, Ortho!”

Ortho was startled by the sudden shout followed by a grin.

“I come up to you and tell you that Sebek and I got into a disagreement about something and we need you to find the answer to see who was right.”

“But, my search engine can find data in a matter of seconds. There’s no need for me to go…”

“If Sebek isn’t with me you’ll have to tell him personally, right?”

Ortho nodded. He could see where Silver was going with it.

“If I told him you told me he wouldn’t believe me so, I’ll have to have you come along. Just for a short moment, and Lord Malleus and your brother can go on ahead and be all lovey-dovey, sparks and fireworks. Perfect plan! What do you think?”

“That might work. But, what will you ask me about?”

“Oh, I don’t know yet but, something will probably pop up, probably today during the day. And tomorrow, and every day.”

The two of them laughed and continued developing their ‘secret plan’. In the end Ortho promised Silver he will do his best to get his brother to go and that he will text him the minute his brother caved in. With that settled, they went into the field for another game.

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“I’ll think about it.”

“Your ‘I’ll think about it’ always means never and it’s not fair. You never want to do the things I want. Ugh.”

Ortho frowned and stormed out of the room. Idia was left speechless. _Great._ He was being an asshole towards his little brother for no reason again. Idia had no right to be mad because Ortho was absolutely right. Everything they did were the things Idia enjoyed. It was naïve and selfish of him to think that Ortho liked everything Idia did as well when Ortho was clearly showing interest in things other than indoor activities. Frustration and disappointment in himself were piling up and Idia suddenly burst in tears, hysterically crying as he bit into his right forearm. Why was he like this? It wasn’t like Ortho demanded something unreasonable. Ortho never did. Idia couldn’t help but feel he was failing his brother again. How many more times will he repeat the same damn mistake. Why can’t he learn? He ruined Ortho’s entrance ceremony, and now he spent an entire week turning down a harmless invitation. It was his friend’s research society for all gods’ sake, not unknown territory and strangers talking about mundane stuff, and it was something his brother would enjoy. He felt sick. Sick of himself and his neediness, of his selfish ways constantly hurting everyone around him and of the metallic taste of blood that was spreading around his mouth from the bite. Running to his bathroom, he spit it all out and held the urge to throw up as well. A moment later, Ortho appeared in front of him with a worried frown on his face, this time in his med gear body. He offered words of consolation to Idia, but the latter was so engrossed in his own sadness that he probably didn’t register what Ortho was saying. Ortho would wait until his brother calmed down.

Seeing his beloved baby brother again, Idia’s sobs became louder. He lunged at him into a hug, grabbing Ortho desperately as he apologised at least a hundred times in a row. He was disgusted with the sorry state he was in. He was supposed to be the older and more responsible one, but now, his pathetic self wasn’t capable of doing anything but being looked after by his baby brother. He continued apologising to Ortho, who was also apologising in return for overreacting as he tried to get Idia to cooperate and let him fix his wounds, but Idia was more intent on him staying hurt, believing that he was punishing himself and was waiting for a catharsis of some sort that never came with the pain as he wanted it to. Giving in, he finally let Ortho do what he had intended. Looking at his baby brother treating his ghastly bite with his gear, he finally had a moment of clarity.

Idia was tired of crying, of panic attacks after the smallest of inconveniences, of insatiable urges to hurt himself when things got dark. His self-destructive behaviours helped no one and he was just a burden for Ortho as such. This needed to stop. Somehow. Idia felt that he couldn’t afford to behave this way anymore. Enough is enough. His poor baby brother who didn’t deserve to have all his time taken away by babysitting him, the useless older brother, all around the clock, So, with those thoughts, he gave his promise to Ortho…and to himself.

“I will get better. I promise you. In time, I will…” Idia whispered.

Ortho was a little bit surprised that he heard his brother say this. He had never before expressed the desire to change. Ortho smiled and told his distraught brother he would always be by his side no matter what.

“I love you, big brother.”

“I love you too, Ortho. So, so much.”

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The brothers were in front of the research society on the next day. According to their plan, Silver showed up 'unexpectedly' and dragged Ortho away on ‘urgent magift business’, because apparently, him and Sebek got into a fight about a champion and his performance from a few years ago and that Ortho’s help was more than needed. Ortho, of course, took Silver’s side and said he had to go and show Sebek the footage. Idia protested but Ortho was adamant that it was not the Shroud way to let someone live in ignorance when information is available and to reassure his brother, he said that he will join soon enough and that Idia should go right on ahead. Defeated by his own mantra. Ironic.

Going a little bit further down the corridor, the two giggled and gave each other a high-five, a little bit in disbelief that it actually worked.

“We finally did it!” exclaimed Ortho. “Sorry it took this long. Brother…is not well right now.”

“What's wrong? Is he sick? Is it contagious?”

“No…nothing like that. It’s…he is so sad sometimes, and I can’t help him...”

They were looking at him pacing in front of the classroom and peeking a little bit inside, finding it all so very amusing, but the weight of the conversation they were having dampened the fun they were supposed to be getting for their plan being completed.

“You are doing your best, Ortho. I can see that.”

“I don’t know…All of these medical functions in me and I still can’t heal my brother’s mind. I don’t know how to do that. My search engine also doesn’t have any real answers. I’ve downloaded an entire database on emotional distress, but nothing I tried worked.”

Silver felt his heart hurt for Ortho and he leaned in to hug him. He was way past believing Ortho didn’t have real emotions and he reprimanded himself for thinking that way when they met. Ortho hugged him back and they stayed like that for a good 10 minutes, mainly because Silver fell asleep in the middle of a hug. Waking up, Silver felt a little embarrassed, but also happy in a way. The last person who hugged him was Lilia, and he was his dad.

Blushing a little bit, he apologised and let Ortho go.

“Silver is happy. I sense elevated neurotransmitter activity. Do you want to hug again?”

"Yes, yes I do."

Ortho hugged Silver again and said how he was happy for being his friend.

“Thank you, Ortho. I am happy too. Anyways, what I’ve been saying, about curing your brother…you do have a cure for him inside you.”

“I do? What? What?”

“Love." 

Ortho was confused, so he tilted his head. Silver then explained what he meant.

"You love your brother, don’t you?”

“Of course. He is everything to me.”

Silver smiled and looked into Ortho’s eyes.

“Then, as long as you have love, you have the cure. It is just a really, really, really slow one. You just have to be patient and give a lot of it. And, I can see you are already doing everything you can, so, don't lose hope. Your brother will become well again. I'm sure of it.”

“You are very kind, Silver. Like a prince. Thank you.”

Ortho leaned in for a hug again, and Silver felt his heart was full. He was really getting attached to this lovely child.

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Now, Idia was standing in front of the Gargoyle research society. Alone. There was a quite elaborate door sign announcing its name. Idia could tell a lot of care had been put in making it and thought how it was really in character for Malleus.

The door was only slightly ajar and Idia peaked inside to see if Malleus was there. If he wasn’t then he could go back to his room and…then he saw Malleus sitting at a large table in the centre of the room, his eyes turned towards a thick book, his head lazily propped up on his left hand. The fae prince was, of course, astoundingly beautiful and ethereal, and warm green lights of ornate magical lamps that illuminated him only added to the fairy-tale atmosphere. The 3-D printed gargoyle was openly displayed on a small pedestal on the table, as if it were some valuable item. Before he had time to think how ridiculous it was to think of it as such, Idia realised that it **was** valuable to the owner. He felt his chest tighten a bit at the entire sight. Malleus did seem to be reading the book in front of him, but his lazy turning of pages told Idia that he wasn’t as focused on it and for a fluttering moment, Idia could’ve sworn he saw a tinge of sadness on his face. But then again, Idia wasn’t good with the emotions of others and he might just be making things up. He wondered what kind of book he was reading. Engrossed in the beautiful sight on the other side of the door, Idia almost paid no attention to his surroundings. Almost. He heard a laughter down the corridor. Someone was coming this way. _If they see me creeping around_ …As Idia jolted in shock he grazed the wooden door but not so much that it would’ve made a sound. After much thought, he’s made the decision to knock before someone actually saw him.

In that very moment, a rather comical scene was unravelling. Like a poorly written comedy, the door opened as Idia was about to knock, leaving him with his fist in the air. He forgot Malleus had abnormally good hearing. Malleus’ smile was wide and friendly, his magical eyes glistened, his disposition the complete opposite of the melancholic image he was portraying a moment ago.

“Idia! Oh, what a wonderful surprise! Come in. Come in.” he said, gesturing towards the inside, his dashing smile plastered on his face.

“I did not expect you to…I did not know you were coming. Pardon the mess. Had I known, I would’ve cleaned up a little bit...I am so sorry to be showing you such a state of disarray.”

“You’ve been to my room, so…relax. It’s no big deal.”

“You are kind, as always, Idia. So, please, take a seat.”

Idia did as instructed and then Malleus asked him whether he wanted to drink something as he turned towards a wooden shelf full of pots and cups arranged neatly, rummaging around as he spoke.

“I have a wide array of teas, coffee from faraway places, sparkling water…”

Idia smiled at the last one because he remembered the look on Malleus’ face when he gave him a bottle in his room, but he asked for regular water instead. Malleus insisted on something a little less plain, as he was his honoured guest, Idia then asked for coffee because it was safer than tea, allergy-wise, and instantly regretted his decision, because the moment he said so, Malleus started pouring actual coffee seeds in a manual coffee grinder. Too much work for someone like him. As he turned the ornate handle, Malleus looked so focused on what he was doing, and Idia just sat there, in awe. He never thought it possible someone could look so ethereal while doing something so mundane as grinding coffee seeds, and yet…Idia heard slight humming, but he couldn’t tell what it was. It didn’t seem like it was a song. Was he reciting the steps for making coffee? Going with that theory, Idia let out a small chuckle, which caught Malleus’ attention. Once again, he forgot how good his hearing was. Asking was there something funny, Idia replied that he just never had anyone make real coffee for him in such an elaborate manner and that he was just happy.

“Then you should come more often. I can make you as much coffee as you’d like.”

Idia saw Malleus blush. He wasn’t imagining this. The fae prince was _blushing_ and he felt he saw something he never should have had the privilege to see. On the topic of blushing, Idia was, once again, thankful that it never showed on his face because right now, his face would’ve been redder than a pomegranate seed. Malleus was so nice to him it was unbearable.

Bringing Idia his coffee in quite a fancy cup, Malleus, once again, thanked Idia for coming and asked what had brought him to the research society as he leaned on one of the bookshelves adorning the walls. Idia took a sip of the coffee, stalling in his answer. The coffee was ten times…no, a hundred times better than the drips he’s been drinking lately. So, putting the fancy cup back down, he answered Malleus’ question.

“I…well, Ortho wanted to come and…”

“Is that so? Well…where is the little Shroud then?”

“He’s coming. We just ran into Silver who took him away on ‘urgent magift business’ or whatever that meant.”

“Oh, did he, now? Interesting. Right. Well, here it is. My humble research room. What do you think?”

Malleus pointed to the half-shelves on both sides of the walls, separated by a large corkscrew board on the third wall below a small round window. There were many diagrams and pictures adorning the corkscrew board, and handwritten notes in a grandiose handwriting on post-its everywhere around him. Idia noticed that the drawings he made were put in a laminated film and decorated with black and emerald-green masking tape for borders before being put at the centre of the large corkscrew board. He felt a little bit proud. Noticing Idia looking at his own drawings, he apologised for not putting them in a better frame, because the one he ordered still hasn’t arrived. Idia thought it was unnecessary for something as simple as a paper drawing, but, if that’s what Malleus wanted to do, Idia wasn’t going to object. He relinquished having a say about those drawings the moment he handed them to the fae prince.

Idia was genuinely interested in what kind of research Malleus was doing, but it also came with the bonus of hearing him speak. Malleus explained, in great detail, about different types of gargoyles around campus, showed him low-resolution, black and white pictures of the ones from his castle and he told him about the ones unique to the ramshackle dorm. It was interesting for Idia that the only thing Malleus cared for at that dorm were the gargoyles, and apart from saying to have met its inhabitants only once, didn’t have any interest in them in the slightest, unlike the rest of campus which couldn’t stop buzzing about them. Idia could understand Malleus’ sentiment, because he also didn’t get what all the rage was. They were helpful with the star sending ceremony and all, but, he just knew Crowley was doing something unnecessary again so didn’t want to get involved unless he absolutely had to.

“So…what made you interested in gargoyles, Mr Malleus?”

Then the fae prince told him about his childhood in the Valley of Thorns, about his life in the castle, a small secluded raspberry garden he loved playing in, and how he was scared of gargoyles at first because there was one near his window that would cast a large shadow over his bed, and of falling in love when he realised that they were just misunderstood. Gargoyles weren’t evil. They were protectors but their looks were misleading. He also talked about how he saw himself in them, because many were, and still are, wary of him as if he were this scary monster that would attack at any given moment.

This conversation was slowly turning dark. Idia didn’t know what to do with the information he was getting. Should he say something? He definitely should. There was that defeated look showing up on Malleus’ face again. Idia hated it. He hated the world who made him feel that way. This was just another validation that 3D characters are lame and that all they can do is hate on what they don’t know. But, what should he say? How should he console his friend? What would be appropriate? How could he let him know that he wasn’t a scary monster?

“Then, what am I…in your opinion?” He stopped behind Idia, seemingly looking for something on the bookshelf above Idia.

Idia freaked out. Once again, he just let the unconscious speak instead of him. This idiosyncrasy of his was becoming quite embarrassing. Think, Idia…think.

“A…an…SSR character!”

“And, what does that mean, exactly?” Malleus asked with an amused look on his face.

“Well…SSR is…it stands for Specially Super Rare. Like, summoning rate 1.5% kind of rare. You can get it only in special events kind of rare, and even then, the one you have to plan ahead and work really hard to get it. A precious character worth investing all your resources in. That sort of thing…”

Malleus was speechless and unable to move. He felt like his heart was going to explode. Once again, he was met with Idia’s pure, unadulterated kindness. All that jargon aside, Idia got his message across. He thanked the Spirits for bestowing him with a chance to hear such words more than once in his lifetime, and that made him immensely happy. So happy, in fact, that he wanted to hug that wonderful man.

“Idia…”, just as he was about to do lean in, there was a somewhat loud squeal at the door, startling both him and Idia. Straightening his back, Malleus sauntered to the door, and saw the two culprits behind it. Ortho and Silver, eavesdropping. Idia was surprised when he saw his brother at the door. Great timing, Ortho, he thought.

“Lord Malleus, we didn’t want to interrupt your conversation! Forgive us!”

Silver bowed, and ushered for Ortho to do the same, which the smaller boy did, although a little awkwardly. Malleus’ laugh filled the room. He couldn’t be mad at them. He had heard them a while ago. They were considerate enough not to barge in the middle of an intimate conversation, and, since both of them were people he trusted, he did not fear any unwanted information reaching prying ears.

Getting over the initial regret of not hugging Idia when he could, in retrospective, he was glad that he didn’t because, as always, the things he dreamed of doing with him were inappropriate for friends. It would be foolish of him to lose Idia over something like that. He also figured Idia wasn’t the type who liked to be touched without being asked first.

Letting the two in, he welcomed them the same as he did with Idia, but neither of them asking for anything. Idia was awfully quiet after the two came inside. Ortho was flying around the room, inspecting things and asking a lot of questions, filling in the silence. Silver was…staring at him, for the lack of a better word. Like a watchdog, analysing his every move and Idia felt uncomfortable. He didn’t really know Silver, and the only time they kind of talked was when he almost attacked him in the courtyard the day before the magift tournament. Staring at his now cold coffee, Idia was berating himself for the stupid way of answering Malleus’ question. What was he thinking? Telling him he was an SSR character…which he was, yes, but, he didn’t have to phrase it like that. Now Malleus would think Idia only spoke gibberish, which, again, yes he did, but he didn’t want Malleus to think…he didn’t even know what himself, just that he didn’t want to give off an impression of being unworthy of being anywhere near this majestic person. Why were they friends again?

Looking at Silver one more time, he felt relieved because the piercing eyes were now closed. Ortho was right. He really fell asleep easily anywhere and everywhere.

He was listening to Malleus explain about gargoyles to Ortho, minus the childhood story and Ortho was engaging in conversation, talking about enjoying _Claws and Paws_ with his brother when they were children and that’s how he knew about them.

Not knowing what to do, now that he had gone over his to-do list of things to worry about, he took his phone out of his pocket and mindlessly scrolled through magicamera, looking at basically nothing. There were at least three pictures of Cater with his girlfriend on his feed in a row. Idia thought how it must be nice to be with someone, to have someone hug you like that. Then it hit him. Before Ortho and Silver barged in, was Malleus going in for a…HUG?! No, that can’t be. It was just his _depraved_ brain making unlikely scenarios. Or, was it truly just his imagination? He can’t have just wanted to grab a book. There were no shelves next to the chair he was sitting on. Did friends hug? Did fae hug their friends?

Before he could make any more scenarios, he stopped in his tracks. Just because he now had a friend, who, by the way, wasn’t sick of him yet and was nice enough to not make him feel like shit, it did not give Idia the right to get so unhealthily attached to the idea of any kind of romance between them and fantasize about someone so pure and wonderful. He hated how selfish he was. He should be content with just being blessed to breathe the same air as Malleus Draconia. And yet, he wondered if, someday, there could be room for him in Malleus’ big heart, just a tiny one, just for him, where something more than friendship could develop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	16. Laugh

Ortho entered Idia’s room announcing that Malleus was coming over.

“WHAT? Why? When?”

“Now.”

“Now? What do you mean now? He can’t! The room’s a mess… **I’m** a mess.”

The sight of Idia kneeling on the floor and hunched over a black pile of…something made Malleus’ heart flutter. How could Idia manage to be cute even when he was covered in filth from head to toe, he wondered?

“Why, if it isn’t the creative genius himself! Oh, how wonderful it is to see you like this. Lovely. Lovely, indeed.” Said Malleus, peeking inside his room.

Idia almost had a mini-heart attack upon hearing this. He luckily managed to catch the power screwdriver and save the freshly assembled armour in front of him from disintegrating into pieces. Why was he always dropping stuff around Malleus Draconia? How lame. His smartphone just alerted him meaning that Malleus didn’t come to the dorm using the normal route. He must reprogram CERBERUS to be more accurate with his pings. Later. Teleporting aside, did Malleus Draconia…flirt with him?! _Who would want to flirt with you? He’s just being friendly, but you’re so depraved you wouldn’t know the difference._ Idia sighed, wiped his dirty hands on his even dirtier apron and waved at Malleus, inviting him to come in as he apologised for the lack of available sitting space and gestured towards his gaming chair telling him to move the papers from it on the floor. Realizing that a prince shouldn’t be doing such a menial task, Idia panicked for being thought of as rude, so he quickly got up to clean it up instead, and, of course, as if he was still in some sort of badly-written comedy, he tripped on the cables and was close to falling but he somehow managed to keep his balance. Malleus was now inside the room and was seemingly ready to catch his fall. Idia felt relieved that he managed to avert a huge embarrassing situation with a smaller one. Before either Malleus or Ortho could ask about his well-being, Idia brushed any concerns off.

“I’m okay. I was cable to resist gravity.” Idia snorted to himself, but Malleus and Ortho remained unfazed and looked at each other.

Disappointed that his pinnacle of comedy went unnoticed, he moved the said pile of files from the chair to the desk and offered Malleus to sit.

Malleus did as instructed and took a seat. Idia’s jaw almost dropped at the sight. Idia sometimes joked that chair was his throne, but damn, did Malleus give new meaning to that. Malleus looked regal wherever he sat, even among all the filth and chaos of Idia’s room and he was stunningly beautiful. _And you are stunningly stupid. He is the heir apparent; you know…actual royalty. Fae royalty on top of that. We’ve already established he’s beautiful. Try to keep up, loser._ Idia was looking…no, staring at him, eyes wide in awe at how someone can be that…perfect.

Malleus was surprised that Idia was looking at him so intensely. Malleus usually felt uncomfortable with being stared at because, whenever someone did, it would be out of either fear or resentment. Malleus was, for once in his life, happy for the attention he was getting. Idia did not look at him with the same eyes everyone else did. He couldn’t possibly. Those wonderful eyes were golden just like his heart. There was also something sensual about looking at Idia from below and, imagining what one shouldn’t about just a friend, he felt the corner of his lips unwillingly twitch into a smile.

Seeing Malleus’ smile, Idia took it as a reality check that he was making him uncomfortable. He blinked as if he tried to reset his brain in a way. Clearing his throat, he asked Ortho how this came about and gestured towards him and their guest.

“We ran into each other at the library. Malleus Draconia was surrounded in a huuuuuge pile of books…like this”, Ortho gestured very vividly, earning laughs from both Idia and Malleus. “Then I said the Olympus search engine is bigger than the library. So, Malleus Draconia used it to search for his Halloween costume and I will help. But, brother, look! I need to show you something right now! Projecting.”

The same search results Malleus saw in the library were now appearing on the projector canvas for Idia to see. Malleus had no idea what the Shroud brothers found so interesting about it, but he enjoyed the scene in front of him, nonetheless. He also couldn’t understand anything they were saying other than that they were praising whatever ‘patch’ or technological advance this ‘search engine’ had. What he focused more on how gentle Idia was when he talked to Ortho. His shoulders seemed more relaxed, his smile livelier, the way he moved his unruly hair behind his ears when it fell in his face more prominent…all of this was so new to him. He had only seen this Idia once, and that was a while ago in the botanical garden. Unsure if there was a connection, Malleus observed their interaction further, hoping he could get some more valuable information. He also noticed there was no stutter in his voice whatsoever and Malleus tried to remember other instances when he spoke this fluently. There were only a few, and most of them were related to technology, or topics so far removed from things Malleus knew. He wondered how much effort he would need to put into understanding Idia’s likes. He was willing to try because listening to Idia like this would absolutely be worth it.

“So, Olympus’ search engine showed me open access free PDFs and eBooks and I thought I could download them to your old Ember reader and give it to Malleus Draconia for reference. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Um…I don’t mind giving it away, but…”

Idia could tell that there was no way that Malleus Draconia would ever use the e-reader so he explained to his brother that he should always take into consideration the needs of others first when delivering a product or a service. So, with his brother’s words, Ortho turned to Malleus and asked him whether he preferred printed or digital data.

“Printed! Oh, definitely printed. If it’s not too much trouble.”

Malleus felt a little guilty to be asking this from another dorm when Lilia clearly wanted him to do this on his own. But his little friend offered, and it was better than going through a hundred books.

“Malleus Draconia prefers printed over digital.” He repeated what Malleus just said. “Asking for input: Is this an example of ‘being considerate of others’, brother?”

Idia was somewhat surprised but managed to nod as a response. Ortho seemed to be developing empathy towards people _other than Idia_ after he upgraded the med gear, and this was significant progress. He must remember to write it all down the moment he had some downtime. For the moment, he was content with a short note on his phone.

“Recording new input. Record complete. Thank you, brother. I will print the complete data for Malleus Draconia.”

Idia stopped his baby brother in his tracks because printing everything he found would not only be a waste, but it would also be no different from ‘the huuuuuge pile of books’. Telling Ortho that they should narrow down the most relevant the data for printing first, Ortho was just about to do offer his help, but then he remembered the promise he gave to Silver and said Idia would do it instead. Idia was startled at that and somehow managed to cut his finger on the uncovered metal parts of the speaker he was trying to insert into the armour and he almost swore, but he played it cool. Malleus was watching and he couldn't afford to be an embarrassment once again.

“Oh, your brother seems really busy. I do not want to burden you two any longer. I can make do with what you’ve already helped me with. I am already grateful for everything.”

“No, no, Malleus Draconia. Brother should definitely help you! He is really smart.” Ortho exclaimed, followed by Idia’s willingness to help. A little break wouldn’t hurt. Getting up from the floor, Idia excused himself to the bathroom first as he showed his paint-smeared hands.

Letting the lukewarm water flow over them, Idia felt the sting on his index finger, but it wasn’t as deep of a cut as he had thought. There was no blood either. It would just be annoying until it healed. Washing the last of the black paint of his hands, Idia thought he should at least brush his teeth. Just…because. Then he put a topical medicine on his finger and covered it with a band-aid.

Getting back into the room, Ortho was gone somewhere, and Malleus was still sitting in his chair, looking like he was interested in Idia’s collection of metal puzzle figurines that adorned the hexagonal shelf beside the bed. Idia also caught Malleus retracting his hand quickly as he was about to touch it. Idia found himself amused by Malleus’ child-like curiosity and surprisingly, seeing his things being tampered with did not anger him in the slightest. Malleus was sometimes too cute for his own good. _What are you thinking?! Stop those thoughts this instant!_

“Okay then…”

Idia shoved a couple of artbooks to the side, making a small space on the bed for him to sit. Slowly getting closer, he said that Ortho already transferred the search results to him, and now, the two of them were looking at many pictures of the eastern dragon and Malleus was picking the ones he liked the most. There was a book chapter Malleus was intent on reading and Idia just put it on one of the smaller screens as he was feeding the data into the improved version of the 3D printing utility he used for the gargoyle from his tablet. He was hoping that he could surprise Malleus with a cool model before he managed to read his chapter. There were still 15 more minutes left. Idia felt good about his chances.

“Idia…what is that?”

All of a sudden, on the right side of the screen Malleus was reading the chapter off of, there were a series of push notifications titled ‘Dorm leader meeting - Halloween’. Idia didn’t know what it was all about either, so, he opened the email thread and in a second, turned the screen back to Malleus.

“An invitation for the Halloween week organization, if I am not mistaken? When is it? May I see it again?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Maleus leaned back into the chair even more after reading it. There was a visible pout on his face. Although this was not the time for Idia to think how cute he looked like that, he kept staring. Malleus’ raw reactions that sometimes slipped up under his overall calculated demeanour were so fascinating to Idia and he thought he could look at just him for hours and still have fun.

“Is…everything okay?”

“Yes.”

That answer was too curt for Idia’s liking. Malleus was sulking. His hand was on his chin and he was still looking at the email. What surprised Idia was that Malleus was looking more and more as if on the brink of tears. What an odd reaction.

“Mr. Malleus? Are you…sure?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, dear Idia. It’s just that, I never know about things like this. Had I not been right here, in this very moment, I would never have known about this. Why is that? How do I get invited to the meetings? How did YOU get invited?”

Ignoring the _dear_ before his name for a moment, Idia focused on the screen. He didn’t understand what Malleus was trying to say. It was just a regular email and Malleus’ name was in the thread, so was there really need to be this dramatic in the first place? Then it hit Idia. Was he not reading the emails? Was that the sole reason he never came to dorm leader meetings?

“Mr. Malleus…don’t tell me you’re not looking at your school email?”

“School e-mail?”

Malleus was confused. Yes, he knew vaguely of the existence of e-mails, but never truly cared enough and it was too confusing for his liking so he chose to pretend they never existed. Until now. If these ‘emails’ were something Idia was interested in, he might as well try to give it a shot.

“Yeah…Look here. This is you. You’re in the thread…conversation…invited.”

Looking at what Idia was pointing at on the screen, there was, indeed, his name followed by a strange code that also included his name separated by a line. He tried reading it, but, stopped midway.

“Idia…what does this mean?”

“It’s read as ‘at’. It kind of separates your username…your account name…um…your personal alias, or identity, from the address on the internet where you kind of…um, belong. That sort of thing. Because, you see here…it’s your name, right? Malleus Draconia at NRC. Malleus Draconia who is at NRC. Whoever sends something here it’s being sendt to you at NRC, not you at any other place…kind of. Sorry, I suck at explaining.”

“No, no. You’re presenting this very clearly. I think I understand. What you’re saying is…the invitations have been coming here? To this…digital address, but I haven’t been there to receive them?”

“Something like that…”

Idia then proceeded to explain Malleus in very layman terms what it’s used for and how he can access it. Malleus’ eyes were gleaming with excitement, although he couldn’t answer any of Idia’s questions about his ‘password’ or anything, he was, once again, happy for all the help Idia was providing him. Idia, in turn, enjoyed Malleus’ expressions too much.

“Well, I can reset your password into something easy to remember but…before that, I have to ask. Do you have a smartphone, Mr. Malleus?”

“I…I do. But, no…It won’t do. It is broken. I’m sure this time.”

Malleus suddenly remembered the unfortunate fate that befell Lilia’s old smartphone that was handed down to him. It was funny to him at that time, when he accidentally dropped it from the dorm window. Since Shroud’s tablet always floated in mid-air, he thought any device of that type could do the same and he was really intent on taking a picture of the sunset. He chuckled for himself and Idia spent a few minutes convincing him to tell him what had happened. Feeling stupid that he had to retell Idia that tale, he apologised at the end for destroying something Idia enjoyed, to which Idia replied with the sweetest laughter Malleus ever heard in his life. This may have been the first time to hear it. Idia did smile and, occasionally giggle under his breath, but never laugh openly like this. He was still laughing, almost wheezing, holding his stomach. Idia’s laugh was catchy, so, Malleus found himself laughing too. The way Idia reacted to it, Malleus couldn’t disagree anymore that it was not funny. Stopping to catch his breath, Idia finally spoke.

“Are you for real? You really yeeted a phone out of the window?”

Contextually, he understood Idia’s words and defended himself.

“Well, it’s you who made me believe in the possibility in the first place…indirectly.”

Idia was wiping the tears from his eyes as he tried to still his breath.

“Oh this is gold. Pure gold. What happened to the phone, by the way?”

“I…kept it.”

“Well, maybe you can bring it over and I’ll fix it for you.”

“Oh…” Malleus put his hand on his chin. “I heard you never did repairs for others?”

“I do…, when I feel like it. Who told you that? What have you heard?”

“That you are notoriously prone to anger outbursts because you are, and I quote ‘not a round-the-clock repair shop’?”

“It was Mr Cater that told you that, wasn’t it? That was a one-time thing! I can’t believe that he’s still salty about that…” Idia stopped in his tracks, before he said something embarrassing.

“I am sensing a good story there. Do enlighten me. I really want to hear. I told you about my smartphone, so it would only be fair. I want to laugh about your misfortune too.”

Idia felt awkward. How the hell was he supposed to explain to Malleus Draconia, heir apparent of the Valley of Thorns, that Cater Diamond asked him to repair the same sex toy three times in one week while playing it off as being ‘just a neck massager’. Taking a deep breath, Idia omitted the sex part and caved in, treading carefully around the topic. Malleus was nodding as he listened, emerald eyes attentive, and with a completely pure expression on his face said:

“Well, that wasn’t nearly as funny. But, had I known you could fix toys, I would’ve brought my Gao Gao to you.”

On one hand, Idia couldn’t believe Malleus hadn’t figured it out. Was he that pure? On the other, he was glad he didn’t. A disaster was just averted today. A famous line from _Overblow_ randomly popped in his mind. _Praise me mortals, for I have saved you._

“Your Gao Gao…Did something happen to it?”

“It got rained on in the subtropical zone the other day, so I had a first-year…Spade, from Heartslabyl, fix it for me.”

“Well, Mr Malleus, I am hurt you didn’t come to me first.” Idia put his hand on his chest, comedically trying to portray the image of hurt. Malleus lowered his head in shame, apparently not understanding the joke. Idia instantly regretted his decision.

“It was per Diamond’s recommendation that I…I am sorry. I should have…”

Idia looked over at Malleus, his large green eyes seemingly glistening with what could’ve been tears and there was that defeated look on his face again. Second one for today. Idia found it so fascinating how quick Malleus was able to change his mood, even for the slightest of things. So, using an approach he knew would soothe the fae prince, Idia grabbed his hand and just said he was joking, apologised for his stupid joke and that he was glad his Gao Gao got fixed, commenting on how the end result was the only thing that mattered.

“You really do not mind?”

“Of course not. But I do fix stuff for others…occasionally. Speaking of which, your smartphone.”

“What about it?”

“Can you bring it to me?”

“Idia, I appreciate the thought, but I honestly doubt it will ever work again. It fell from the 5th floor. I don’t think even a genius such as you could fix it.”

Idia lowered his head for a bit. It was frustrating that he was considered to be this genius when all he did recently was so mediocre that he was almost ashamed. However, he appreciated Malleus going the extra effort to say it. If Idia heard it enough times maybe he himself will finally start believing it. Until then, he would have three more projects to lose sleep over.

“Do you really think I need a new smartphone?”

Idia nodded, almost too energetically.

“Well, for starters, you’ve been trying to reach me by such unconventional means recently, so I do think you need one…urgently.”

“Don’t tell me you are still upset by the raven thing?”

“I am not upset.” Idia pouted for a second and really quietly said, “It’s fine now. They finally stopped calling me ‘raven whisperer’.”

Malleus burst out laughing. Idia couldn’t logically explain what it was about that laugh specifically that made him so happy, but it somehow did. It always started with a quiet chuckle and then developed into a bright, hearty sound that made Idia’s heart dance to its tune. The way Malleus’ eyes closed and his head slowly tilted to the right, and how his lips always revealed a pair of cute, but pointy teeth, were some of the most adorable things Idia has ever seen, and in times like this, he did wonder how everyone at school could be scared of this bundle of joy. Yes, there was that ‘top five wizards’ thing, and the ‘rumoured to shapeshift into a dragon and burns down villages as a pastime’ thing, but, those people have not seen Malleus the way he did. They were all normies who would never understand a damn thing. Finishing with his fanboying over Malleus, Idia quickly came back to the conversation.

Idia was rummaging through his shelves and then took out a black and silver box and placed it in front of Malleus with a wide grin and told him it was for him.

“There are faster and easier ways to communicate, Mr Malleus.”

Malleus was startled by this gesture. Even without opening the box he could tell what its contents were. Idia continued explaining.

“It’s fairly new, I used it for less than two months then I replaced it with this baby.” He took out a large phone out of his pocket and proudly presented it to Malleus, who could not tell the difference between the two, but, judging from Idia’s reaction, there ought to have been one.

“I won this in an online tournament a few days ago, actually, it’s the latest model. Both are of the same brand so there’s a really easy way of sending messages to each other. That’s why I’m giving this to you. No more ravens and magical papers, please.”

Malleus took the phone out of the box and observed it. It was metallic-blue, the colour so particular to Idia Shroud that he felt it would be wrong to take it for himself. However, after Idia confirmed at least ten times that he truly didn’t need it anymore, Idia explained some basics about the item in question. Malleus enjoyed the gleam in Idia’s eyes as he talked away.

“So, that smartphone, it’s not your typical run-of-the-mill basic garbage. Using a complex network of GPS satellites to deliver data and with a battery life that almost never runs out, it’s a state-of-the-art, polished to perfection, ultra-rare Isle tech. The Aegis is the first of its kind and therefore a trademarked patent by Haephestus Inc. All other brands boasting GPS data delivery are complete bullshit if you ask me. This…is the real deal. There aren’t many widely available and are custom-made. This one has industrial-grade graphene casing so it’s relatively lightweight but drop and damage resistant at the same time. The outer parts are made of tinted platinum just for aesthetic purposes. If you don’t like the colour scheme I can have it exchanged in a matter of days. GPS enables it to have reception everywhere in the four corners of the world, and not to mention, it’s really, really fast. Battery life is 19 hours with constant use, but is otherwise charged using solar power. Neat, right?”

“That is indeed impressive. But, may I ask…If it’s so great, why are you giving it to me? Someone as smart as you would know this would just go to waste with me?”

 _Because you’re great._ Hoping that he didn’t say his thoughts out loud, he looked at Malleus for any kind of reaction, but, after seeing there wasn’t any, he felt relieved and then proceeded to give a more generic explanation.

“Ah, but, that’s where you’re wrong, Mr Malleus. This is the best the Isle of Lamentation has to offer, and it is worthy of a prince. Besides, the user interface is really easy to use, it's perfect for everyone. From beginners to experts."

Malleus smiled, not knowing what to say.

“So, you’ll accept my gift?”

Malleus nodded, his eyes still glued to the phone on his palm.

“Great. So, as for technical stuff…um, this one is registered to my name and it’s all up and moving, it has unlimited data . You can completely ignore that piece of info because I’ll make a separate user account just for you, so, you can use it comfortably without any breaches of privacy while still getting the best user experience. Do you have time now? Can you give me some details? It won’t take long, I promise.”

Malleus nodded and said he trusted him with whatever he decided as he did not understand anything Idia said well enough to make his own decision. Startled by this sudden outburst of trust between them, Idia finished setting up the device, and his school email in a matter of minutes. He resisted to urge to chuckle because his main user account was now malleus @ shroud.inc. Like he was a part of his family. Scoffing internally, because he knew it was too good to be true.

With the user account made, Idia proceeded to show Malleus the basics of operating a smartphone. Malleus enjoyed having Idia as his teacher. The way his voice was confident when he was giving explanations, and how he was patient even though Malleus made the same mistakes over and over again. More importantly, Malleus enjoyed and how Idia gently brushed his hand against his as he took the phone in and out of Malleus’ hands whenever he needed to do something more advanced. In a short span of time Malleus learned how to message and (video)call Idia properly, how to send stickers and basic emoji in the chat, and most importantly, access the school email _with all the invitations just waiting for him_. Malleus was very fascinated with his new toy. He then took a picture of him and Idia with the front camera, for practice, and proudly showed it to him, like a child who learned how to tie his own shoes. Idia laughed because he heard rumours that Malleus didn’t show up in pictures. How stupid of him to believe that. It was just confirmation for him that all those normies knew nothing about Malleus. When asked about the reason, Idia played it off and said how Malleus was cute playing with the phone. Realizing how wrong it sounded, Idia cleared his throat and thought how telling the real reason would’ve been less awkward, but also more insensitive. Using it as an excuse of teaching Malleus to send pictures, Idia’s heart skipped a beat when the picture arrived. His first picture with Malleus. Hoping it wouldn’t be the last, he sent a sticker reply and shifted the topic back to Malleus’ Halloween costume.

Time flew by the two of them and Malleus realised he should take his leave. It was already close to the school curfew, and they had a dorm meeting after that so he announced his departure. Before Malleus could disappear Idia stalled for a few more minutes because he had prints done for him that Ortho would be bringing soon.

As soon as he took the same file he got his gargoyle drawings in, Malleus leaned in for a hug. He was so happy that someone would go out of their way to help him without expecting anything in return and, once again, he was really grateful to have Idia Shroud in his life.

Although Idia wanted to hug him back, he freaked out and moved away, warning Malleus that he would get hurt. Malleus disappeared not long after, thinking about why Idia had said that. It was just a friendly hug in his opinion.

Idia went to bed thinking about how Malleus called him _dear_ Idia today and fell asleep with a smile on his face, but only after texting 'Thank you for dropping by today'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated <3


	17. Relaxation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Malleus' birthday to everyone who's celebrating!  
> No whole cakes, we don't do that here 🍰

The atmosphere at Night Raven College became festive the moment homeroom teachers announced the shift into Halloween season. Halloween was in a little less than a month and every dorm was busy with preparations. Ignihyde’s application for the library went smoothly, and in the first two days upon approval they already decided on the projection mapping design and built the first prototype in addition to the relatively large-scale model of the library placed in the dorm workshop for preliminary testing. Idia did not even notice how time passed by, but he enjoyed the progress the dorm, and him, were making. Being reminded by CERBERUS it was Tuesday, he headed for the Boardgame club in the evening because it was already two weeks that he neglected his club activities. Also, Ortho was also worried for his brother so he urged him to go, completely ignoring Idia’s excuses that he was ‘busy’. In the end, Idia was glad that he went.

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After wrapping up for today, Idia helped his club mates with cleaning up and sorting boxes. They received a shipment of ten new indie games last week, but because of Halloween preparations and how busy everyone was, they were left unsorted. More precisely, Idia wasn’t there to sort them. At the same time, they were also trying to agree on a tentative schedule for testing them all out. All of this cleaning took longer than usual, and it was already around half past eight when the first members slowly started leaving.

Malleus was pacing around, impatient. What were they doing for so long? Malleus was short on time. He hasn’t seen Idia in what felt like an eternity, Halloween decorations and all taking the majority of his time and on top of that Idia didn’t show up in person for any of the Halloween meetings. They texted a little in between, but it was not the same. Malleus needed to physically see Idia. He had a favour to ask of him. However, that was not the sole reason for seeking him out. Malleus felt like he would fall apart by the time the clock ticked midnight today if denied that chance.

Should he barge in and swoop Idia away? Seriously contemplating that for a moment, he finally saw him and Ashengrotto leave the room and turn off the lights behind them. He did not plan for this. He had hoped Idia would be alone, although he didn’t know why. Well, no matter.

Malleus approached the two, as courteously as he could, and Ashengrotto replied in the same manner. Idia was, of course, a stark contrast and replied only with a short, barely audible ‘Hi’ as he lowered his gaze so much that the only thing Malleus could see was the top of his flaming head.

“I was hoping I could talk to you, Idia, so, Ashengrotto, if you do not mind…”

“Oh, certainly. Of course.” He looked at Idia with a smug, I-was-right, smile on his face as he seemingly went away, but Idia knew he was probably somewhere around the corner, watching. It was always strange to him that Azul could find endless entertainment in watching people suffer. But then again, Idia thought puns were funny so, to each their own? He didn’t mind, though, as it was Azul who already figured Idia’s emotions out before Idia himself did, so he felt there was no harm done anyways. The moment he disappeared from sight, Malleus spoke with a worried expression on his face.

“Idia, I need your help, and I am afraid it’s urgent.”

Malleus’ tone was serious and Idia already felt pressure and a creeping sense of obligation although not really knowing for what, but he also felt happy that Malleus came to him, of all people. Before he even had the time to ask why Malleus was lurking around the boardgame club, Malleus said his woes.

“I wanted to send you a message, but I thought talking to you would be quicker. I am so sorry if I have inconvenienced you by coming directly.”

Idia waved his hand, he didn’t mind. Flattered, more likely. The most amazing person on campus came to see little old him personally.

“I have completely forgotten about an assignment for Trein’s class. A kind that requires me to write 10 pages until Thursday evening. The topic is ‘unrealistic portrayals of magic in popular media’ and I just do not know what to do or where to start. The library was not of much help, and…I do not want to inconvenience you by any means, but, quite frankly, you are my only hope. I hope you understand.”

That he did, but it made his heart jump nonetheless. Malleus Draconia sought him out. HIM. To HELP with an assignment. This was insane. Absolutely insane. Not in a million years had he thought HE would be helping Malleus Draconia with anything. It felt like a rare achievement badge.

So, trying to hide his excitement rather poorly, Idia grinned and as he trailed off on one of his long monologues. Malleus loved hearing him speak so fluently and with such happiness written all over his face, he hadn’t dared to interrupt to ask for further clarification lest this scene disappeared like a lifted spell.

“Worry not, my good friend. This is my time to shine! I will use all the knowledge I have accumulated over the years and introduce you to as many genres as I can, and will show you all the influential works, bad, mid-tier and high-quality. Ok, so, I have some of the older stuff in my dorm so I can lend you the DVDs too but not many because most of the DVD era stuff is back home but it’ll work out somehow. As for the newer stuff I can share my Magiflix with you. Premium subscription, baby! You can watch all you want, whenever you want, and I can make a shared watchlist for reference. As for the things you should watch…hm…For cinema, there’s…ah, yes. _That_ and… _Phantasma_ and.., oh, YES! _The Green Cat._ You have to see that one.”

Idia’s eyes were lively and he was very up in Malleus’ face as he tipped on his toes and put both hands on Malleus’ shoulders. Idia was begging to be kissed. Malleus wondered if he should. Grabbing Idia’s face in his hands, pulling him even closer, pressing his lips onto his, confessing his undying love, right here and now seemed like a very good idea. But also, a very short-lived one, because in the next moment, Idia continued the monologue as he backed down and Malleus regretted the missed opportunity.

“For animation, if you decide to cover it, there’s an entire genre of unrealistic portrayals in every franchise dealing with the magical girl phenomenon, and _Tell me, Magica!_ is so crazy that you won’t believe your eyes. For non-animated media, hmm…I have a few comics…what was that, ah, right. _Professor Peculiar_ as the first of its kind and that shameless blatant copy that is _Mister Magnificent_ that surpassed _Professor Peculiar_ in popularity for…whatever reason…which you should see because it’s important…I guess. As for novels…novels…hm. Well, there are some nice ones but I doubt you’ll have time to read them all but you should at least watch an adaptation of _Runners of the Hell Portal._ Quite a decent one, if I may say _…_ If you have time you have to listen to the _Merlin_ radio dramas that are SO bad yet so good. I need to lend you all of it, oh, this is going to be SO fun, especially if I managed to dig up the holidays edition which is in my opinion one of the most…”

One glance at Malleus’ face, and Idia noticed the frown. _Nobody cares about your ramblings._ Idia looked down at his own shoes now, stuttering as he spoke. The wonderful spell called Idia’s happiness was broken in a second and Malleus felt his chest tighten. Why did he stop? Why is he going further away from me?

“I…sorry. That was…cringeworthy. Uh…drop by Ignihyde in 30-ish minutes…or whenever, okay?”

Idia was so embarrassed. He must’ve creeped Malleus out. _Why are you so fucking weird?_ Looking for a way to get out of the uncomfortable situation Idia turned around and stormed off, leaving the dumbfounded Malleus behind. Although his first instinct was to run after him, he realised how it made no sense, as they would be meeting very soon. Having half an hour to spare, Malleus should go back Diasomnia, but just thinking about it made his stomach turn. That was the last place he wanted to be right now. The moment he stepped in he just knew Lilia would hand him a new pile of correspondence, and he was not done with letters from three days ago. His mood turned sour just by thinking about it because he was so exhausted from bowing his head to incompetent diplomats and apologising for the mess of a country the Valley of Thorns was. However, stifling his selfish behaviour, he reasoned that getting at least one reply out would be an achievement, given his current state, so, begrudgingly, he made his way back.

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Idia headed straight for his room to leave his bag and to prepare the things he promised to Malleus, but first, he had to calm down. Ortho was out, so he was on his own. Disregarding the mess in his room, because there’s no way he could clean it up in a such a short amount of time, he decided it was futile and that it would be better if he just handed him the box in the lounge and save himself from the embarrassment of being a mess. On top of that, there was a lingering embarrassment from their interaction that was probably here to stay. He hated how easily he would talk about things no one but him cared about. He really did not know how to stop himself, when he clearly should.

Idia’s heart felt as if it would jump out of his chest when he saw the visitor notification. Sebek Zigvolt and Silver were accompanying Malleus, and he felt uneasy with the surge of guests all of a sudden. Why were they here? Leaving his room to greet his guests, he saw his little brother together with them. Cursing at himself for being stupid for not anticipating this could happen, because Ortho would usually come back from magift on Tuesdays right about this time. They decided to tag along upon hearing Malleus was coming, and Ortho invited them to stay.

Idia felt as if he was standing in crossfire. He only told Malleus to come to pick up stuff. However, Ortho’s invitation toppled his own in terms of hospitality and now he couldn’t back out. So, taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he weighed his options, or, the lack thereof. The only appropriate course of action was to have them stay for a bit, until curfew, and to serve them some food. That’s manageable. Idia invited the guests to the lounge, where it was more comfortable. Excusing himself for a minute he went back to his room and made a phone call to Azul.

“Are you at the Mostro? Please tell me you are.”

“Oh, Idia. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Is the kitchen still open? Can I order takeout, like, right now? Please tell me it’s open.”

“Well, we are slowly closing up, but, for you…anything. For a price, though.”

“Oh, good. Ok, um…two…no, three mix pizzas, thick crust. And fries…four servings and…mystery sauce. Eternally grateful.”

“Order confirmed. Your eternal gratefulness will cost 5900 madol, paid upon delivery.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Mr Azul.”

“I am, aren’t I? Is that a, date night you are preparing for, by any chance?”

“I wonder. Thanks, Mr Azul.”

Coming back to the lounge, Idia saw that his guests were having enough fun. Silver and Sebek seemed to have occupied the gaming console together with Ortho as Malleus observed them, unmoving and with an unusually blank expression on his face. Slowly, Idia sat across him on the blue sofa, because sitting next to him would be _creepy_.

“I…got some takeout. For you guys. So, you’re welcome to stay for… dinner.”

“Truly? Oh, wonderful. Thank you.”

There was no smile, no semblance of emotion on Malleus’ face, and more importantly, no words to fill the uncomfortable silence surrounding them. You could only hear occasional shouts of the gaming trio engaged in a racing game. Idia didn’t know how to initiate conversation on his own. What would he talk about that wasn’t pure cringe? This was not how he planned out his evening and he also wasn’t sure if Malleus was mad at him for being annoying a while ago. When Malleus finally initiated the conversation, Idia’s heart dropped from anticipation that he was going to be told how crappy a friend he was back there.

“So, Idia…enlighten me. I do appreciate the effort into putting all this together, but, how do you expect me to go through that entire box in a couple of days?”

Well, there was a question he didn’t think about. That amount of stuff was normal when one was getting into a new hobby, so he never stopped to think this would just be a one-time, ten-page assignment Malleus would forget about the moment he turned it in. Berating himself on how royally he fucked up, Idia started going down the spiral of negative thoughts. He did say to Malleus he would, but to expect it so soon was disappointing. When was the takeout coming? He needed a distraction from his thoughts. Anything is fine. He felt his nails dig into his forearm. Relieved, it’s better than nothing. He looked at Malleus who was smiling, albeit ever so slightly, barely replacing the blank stare from a minute ago. Then it dawned on him. Malleus was not being spiteful. It was a normal question. Feeling the tension from his shoulders slowly fade away, he smiled back. He would try something revolutionary today: having a normal conversation without thinking that everything was his fault, and that the world was ending.

“I did get a bit carried away, but, you don’t have to watch everything. Just, watch a couple to get the general picture. These are just my recommendations but I couldn’t decide on only one so I just put all. Whatever you pick can help you in some way.”

“I see…” Malleus sighed. Sighed?! Idia never saw him do that before and he had to inquire more. Sensing something was bothering Malleus, Idia pressed him for answers because he couldn’t bear seeing that defeated look on Malleus’ face. Just one more time, like when he collected his wish, Idia will do his best to turn that sad look into a smile. He can and will fix it. He knows he can, with a little bit more input.

“It’s just that I thought…oh, never mind. It is foolish of me to have assumed things. Thank you for all the effort you put into this. I should get going. I’ve enjoyed your hospitality for too long.”

As Malleus got up, so did his ‘bodyguards’, which was instantly followed by the dreadful sound of losing a game coming from the console and Ortho expressing joy for winning. How uncanny all of this was. Panic slowly creeped in. What if Malleus left Ignihyde now and never came back? Idia couldn’t let that happen. So, through a weak laugh, he tried pleading with his guests to stay, but the only coherent thing that he was able to say was ‘takeout’. Ortho picked up on his brother’s _pathetic_ state, and with his cheery disposition he tried to get them to stay. Silver, of all people, also pleaded with Malleus that they should stay so they could avoid Lilia’s cooking. Silver wanting to stay was truly odd, but the argument of ‘Lilia’s cooking’ somehow worked and Malleus sat back on the sofa, still as silent as he came here. Sebek then asked Ortho for a rematch and the same game started again.

Idia, probably for the first time in his life, was uncomfortable by silence. It felt like thick fog threatening to choke and crush them in a matter of moments. Idia’s heartbeat was becoming more irregular now. Why wasn’t the usually talkative Malleus saying anything? This was unsettling so, Idia mustered the courage to ask first.

“Is everything okay? Did I…did I do something wrong?”

“I am fine, Shroud.”

 _Shroud? SHROUD?!_ Oh, this was not good. Malleus was definitely mad at him. Idia wanted to cry. His lips quivered as he tried to calm down. He apologised a couple of times in a row, his voice shaking as he tried not to let out the chokes escape his throat. His nails dug deeper in his skin, and by the time he realised that his skin was stinging from being torn, it was already too late. Hopefully, Ortho wouldn’t notice if he stopped now. If.

“I…I’m sorry…I should’ve been more considerate…”

Idia needed a better distraction than just his nails. But he couldn’t go to his room now and indulge, at least not when guests are here… _Focus_. He wondered where the damn takeout was.

Malleus picked up on Idia’s shaky voice and his heart felt heavy. Why was he apologising all of a sudden? **What** was he apologising for?

“I ought to have narrowed it down and not…I’m really sorry I…”

Oh, this was absolutely terrible. He was so absorbed in his own troubles that he didn’t even pay attention to the things he was saying. Lilia warned him of this many times. He had a habit of slipping into his own thoughts without regards to the world around him, and when he did that, sometimes, vile things came out. What had he said? Well, no matter now. _Focus._ _Be a diplomat when you can’t find your own words_ is what Lilia always advised.

Straightening his back, he looked straight into the mess that was trying so hard not to show up on Idia’s face.

“It appears that I have said something harsh to you, have I not? For that, I apologise. There is no justification, dear Idia, for what I have done, but, I ask for forgiveness nonetheless.”

Idia was confused. What was this conversation even? He went from ‘Shroud’ to ‘dear Idia’ in a matter of minutes and it felt really weird. Was he angry or not? Why was he so formal? He didn’t know how to deal with formal talk, so he just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

“You aren’t your usual self today, Mr Malleus.”

It seemed to have worked. Malleus looked away and curved his lips in a bitter smile. Idia Shroud didn’t care about protocol, or empty expressions. He welcomed the feeling of someone other than his close circle worrying about him so, reluctantly, he shook his head.

“I am not, am I?”

“Can you tell me what’s bothering you? I…I’ll listen…and, help…if I can.”

Malleus leaned further, his elbows resting on his knees as he covered his face.

“I am tired, Idia. So, so tired. Of everything. I want to rest. I came here thinking you would let me stay here and watch…whatever you chose, together with you because…and sorry for being selfish and disregarding your schedule but the only instances when I could actually rest were when I was in your company so I thought that today... I did not expect another pile of work to be handed to me and I am sorry if I reacted poorly, but I am so exhausted that I can’t even remember what it was that I said which has hurt you. But, if you can, please forgive me. You didn’t deserve me spewing vitriol at you.”

Malleus looked so broken that Idia really considered giving him a hug to comfort him, but resisted that urge, especially with those two watching. He thought that Sebek would rip his head off if he just dared to touch Malleus, let alone hug him. Shaking the thought off, Idia looked at the fae prince more closely. He did look very tired, his stunning eyes were somewhat bloodshot and not as lively, his shoulders slumped, and his lips were chapped and redder in some areas. He can’t possibly be…Idia admired him for the strength to present himself as if he had it all under control. That was a mission impossible for Idia. He was flattered that Malleus thought of their time together so highly, and, with the fear of Malleus being mad at him replaced by fear of Malleus burning out, or worse – overblotting, Idia proposed something out of character, but what he seemed to do for Malleus more often than not. 

“Then…how about, starting from today, you come here every evening around this time or earlier, and I’ll play stuff for us” _There is no us. Don’t get ahead of yourself._

“you…for you, to watch? Even after your assignment’s done? So you could…you know, relax for a couple of hours?”

Idia was amused as he watched Malleus’ facial expression turn to pure happiness in the fraction of a second, then resuming its usual regal look. On the bright side, the sullen and defeated one was now gone, for which he was thankful. The fae prince was beautiful, even in his sadness, but happiness suited him better.

“Oh, that sounds lovely…but I couldn’t possibly intrude like that…”

“Why not?”

Idia’s blunt question left him speechless. Indeed, why not? Malleus became quiet once again, his hand resting on his chin, eyes averted to the side. He was looking for an answer to that question.

In the meantime, the takeout came, Idia did something on his phone, and Malleus was still in thought. Why shouldn’t he accept it? Everything he had learned up until now was telling him that such an interaction would not be appropriate, as it would only burden the host. On the other hand, it would be foolish of him to squander away the opportunity to see Idia every day for an indefinite amount of time. He was wondering what to do, and seemingly Idia caught on.

“You aren’t intruding, I’m…I’m inviting you. Besides, it would do you good to take a break from your busy royal day for two hours, you know. If you don’t your head will explode.”

Malleus smiled, this time earnestly, as he was being handed a huge slice of pizza on a paper plate with a Mostro Lounge logo on it. Idia was already trailing off about brain waves, stress and its impact on productivity and whatnot. 

Taking Malleus’ smile as a yes, Idia proceeded to brainstorm. He was making gestures with his hands as if he were sorting things. Maybe he was. He was talking about making a watch schedule as well as listing all the things he had to do. All of this told Malleus that Idia really wanted him there and, he would think about his problems later.

“I am truly blessed for having you in my life.”

He thanked Idia for going out of his way for him, which Idia brushed off as nothing. Again.

“Ok, so, tonight…You are staying, right? I really want to show you _The stranger kind of Magick_ , and _Personal Touch_ , both of them are really famous but also less than thirty minutes long so they can account for one film. Should be a good introduction to what you’re probably going to do, and did I mention they’re must-see masterpieces. Is that okay?”

Malleus could only nod because he overestimated the size of the pizza crust and was now struggling with it. Lilia would probably materialize out of nowhere to smite him on the spot if he dared speak with his mouth full. Ortho also seemed that he overheard the conversation, so he just gestured an ‘ok’ sign back to Idia. Silver and Sebek were also apparently staying for the film, but, Silver was already asleep, the pizza slice half-eaten in his hand.

Idia started playing the first film on the lounge’s projector, and took his seat next to Malleus this time, although, and his heart was beating a little bit faster with the excitement that he dared to do such a thing. There was a really addictive feeling of guilty pleasure, that, if Idia only slightly moved his leg, their knees would technically be touching. The second film was over and Malleus seemed to have enjoyed them both, although he had a hard time staying awake for the second one.

When the guests left and there was nothing in the lounge left to clean up, Idia was now confronted with the ugly scratches on his right forearm. Looking at their reflection in his bathroom mirror, he felt disgust. What was he thinking? To think that his bite from a few weeks ago healed nicely and now all his efforts were ruined. Idia felt like a failure. It was foolish of him to assume the bite would be the last.

As he wrapped the ugly, pinkish, uneven lines on his forearm in a long gauze bandage, he worried about how he would sneak this past Ortho for the upcoming weeks. On the bright side, he would get to see Malleus more often. That was good, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated 💙🖤


	18. Late

Idia woke up on Wednesday morning realising he would be late for class if he didn’t leave his bed here this instant. He had Magical Pharmaceuticals 3 for the first period and that was one of the classes he couldn’t take from his room. He dreaded being late, because he had better things to do than be ‘trained’ after classes by that imposing dog-person. So, thanking the smarter Idia from yesterday who hanged the lab coat on the chair, AND put an energy bar in the pocket, he ran to the Newt’s classroom number 3 as he ate it and entered it a few moments before Crewel showed up. Today was unusual because they weren’t paired with anyone, but Idia preferred it over anything. The class passed as usual, Idia completed everything ahead of time and was then left browsing for other medicines in the book they were using today. It was a rare one, and only the professors were allowed to rent it from the library. Since he barely went there to study, this was a rare opportunity. He was even complimented by Crewel on the progress his Asphodel plant was making. It was an overall nice day. He had two other classes after this, but he already planned to go back to his room and take them remotely. He wondered what Malleus was doing and whether he would really be coming today and texted him, but, even after two hours, there was no reply. Well, Idia didn’t expect Malleus to become tech-savvy overnight, so, as long as he managed to relay that information by afternoon it would be fine.

Speaking of which, there he was, in front of Idia’s classroom. He didn’t have his lab coat on, so they weren’t switching classrooms. Did he come all this way just to tell him something? Did he give up on the phone altogether?

“I will be late tonight. I just wanted to let you know. But I will come. Wait for me.” He said, as he disappeared before Idia could even blink. Yes. Yes he did. Malleus was so _analogue_ it hurt _._

After finishing with Medical Pharmaceuticals, Idia was quick to send out his tablet for Trein’s class and change into his ‘work clothes’, because that armour wasn’t going to make itself. He ate lunch at some point, and after lunch he switched to working on the new retinal implant because the other guys still couldn’t finish yesterday’s daily tasks Idia set for the projection mapping. Concluding he was done for the day, Idia wanted to take a break and watch a couple of Magituber creators who came out with new videos today, but the dorm AI alerted him to an accident waiting to happen where a first-year fell and got stuck between the metal racks of the server room because the metal ladder somehow broke. The poor student was slowly but surely being choked by his own shirt. Idia and Ortho rushed to help take him down. It was truly an accident and, for a change, Idia didn’t have to go and scold the newbies for getting loose with their interpretation of lab safety, but he did stay for a bit to console the frightened student. Ortho stayed behind to treat any wounds and Idia came back to his room.

Having spent so much time in it he didn’t notice the mess until he came back. It was the most chaotic it has been in weeks, with even more parts and blueprints everywhere around. His power tool station was also out and there were tiny shards of metal on his carpet. How did they even get there when his workstation was on the other side of the room?

Well, all of this was not important now. He had to clean all this mess soon so, slowly, but surely, he started from the most obvious parts. He sloppily put the assembled parts of the black armour on a mannequin he borrowed from Vil and, after making sure that none of the parts would fall off, he covered it with a sheet. Not to keep it a secret as much as he didn’t want it to get dirty. Freaking out in the middle of the night when he woke up to get some water had nothing to do with it. Definitely not the main reason.

Then, he wanted to put everything from the floor that shouldn’t be there and put it on his bed, but the bed was unmade, so he was struggling with it. Ortho came back in the right moment and helped his brother out with changing the sheets. With the bed finally made, Idia could finally put all the blueprints, drawings and artbooks there.

The next step was his filthy floor. Starting from the visible trash, he separated them in standard recyclable/non-recyclable categories and threw them down the chute outside the lounge room and then went back to his room for the main task at hand. He also turned on the smart vacuum to do the cleaning for him as he sorted the things on his bed. Dividing them in artbooks on the right, and blueprints/papers on the left, he finished it in a matter of moments. He shoved the blueprints in a large file and placed it on his desk. He’s using that file every day and it would be unnatural if he placed anywhere else but at the reach of his hand. The artbooks proved to be a little bit more difficult, because the newly-arrived ones were mixed with old ones and they had to be properly sorted, first by genre, and then by name. Making a memo that he needed another shelf, Idia put them by his bed. Taking a step back to the far end of the room, he deemed his room was okay enough for Malleus to come. It was still not 19p.m, and Malleus did say he was going to be late, so, since he had some time left, he figured he should make himself presentable as well. He took his toiletry basket and some relatively new clothes and headed for the showers, where Idia took probably the quickest shower in his life and rushed back to his room, anticipating Malleus to already be there, but he wasn’t. Since he had a bit more time, he entered his adjoint bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He brushed his teeth. There was still no visitor notification but Idia expected it to come at any second. Idia then looked at the bottles on his mirror shelf and saw a fancy one of some skin care thing that Vil Schoenheit gave him not so long ago. He contemplated whether he should be using such a nice thing on himself. But then again, he already opened it, so, it shouldn’t go to waste. So, taking a handful of the fancy skin lotion, he put it on his face in slow, circular motion and he realised why cosmetics like this were popular. It felt refreshing on his face, and the pleasant fragrance of it made Idia feel really nice for a second. Deeming he was presentable enough for the beautiful fae prince, Idia went back to his room for a final check. He did his hair, on his own, without having to be forced to do so in the first time in…probably years. He braided it, then wrapped it loosely at the back of his head. Stopping it with a silver, skull-shaped comb, he looked at himself in the mirror again. It felt odd without his hair getting everywhere and he was wondering if this was too much. Then he changed his shirt a few more times until he decided on a ultramarine, long-sleeved one with a minimalist cat design in lavender lines. _Why are you acting so ridiculous? It’s not a date, you know._

Brushing off the thoughts in his mind, he sat on his bed and was going through his uncle’s bionic implants book as he listened to random Magitubers on autoplay. Ortho was also getting ready because he said he wanted to watch it with Malleus Draconia.

Another 45 minutes have passed and Idia was starting to think Malleus wouldn’t be coming after all.

Oh well. Why should he care? It’s his assignment. If he’s not coming that’s on him.

⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰ ⋱⋰

Malleus was standing in the middle of throne room, watching his grandmother walk back to her thorn throne after she had slapped him in front of the rest of the courtiers. The embarrassment of it all hurt, but, in all honesty, the bone rings that she had adorned that day hurt even more, and Malleus was certain they would leave a mark.

“I am not satisfied with you at all. Being with humans has made you soft, Malleus...It’s almost as if you are…taking their side. Disappointing.”

He couldn’t say anything back, at least not when the court was watching.

“I did not send you among them so you could spend your days playing some silly sports. You ought to have done your due diligence. But alas, your foolish actions have cost us a peace treaty. The implications are…grave.”

Malleus bowed and kneeled. Even though deep down in his heart he knew it was nothing he did, but that her pride that was the root cause, he had to ask for forgiveness. He did not want to be ‘made an example of’ again and be hurt by her on display for all those corrupt and incompetent bunch of…

Not even having the time to finish his thought, he felt her magic pulling him down, and he fell onto the floor with a large thud followed by a scream. His scream. In addition to magic, there was a sort of an iron net all over him, preventing him from moving. He was in a lot of pain and it felt like his insides were freezing and burning at the same time. He was unsure which magic she used on him this time, but he had a hard time keeping his screams muffled even though he was biting hard on the leather parts of his armour. His cries and Her Majesty’s voices were the only thing in the room.

“Listen well, all of you! I will see this country attain peace. Mistakes will not be forgiven.”

There was a dramatic pause as she released her agonizing magic, and the cries were replaced by groans and deep breaths. The courtiers whispered among themselves, but Malleus was too zoned out from the pain he’d just endured that he couldn’t register what they were saying. Her Grace dismissed the court. The iron net was taken off of him by none other than Lilia, who gently smiled at him as he helped him up. Quivering as he held his arm over his stomach like he was a wounded soldier, he wanted to approach his grandmother, but she dismissed him with such aloofness in her words that it made Malleus’ blood freeze.

“You’ve done well today. Wait for further instructions. You too are dismissed, dear grandson of mine.”

Being propped on Lilia’s shoulders, Malleus slowly made his way out of the throne room, and the large black door shut loudly behind them.

Her Majesty’s mood swings were becoming more and more unpredictable through the years. Not even Lilia could tell this would be how she would react, and he had believed that he was fairly good at predicting her actions. Lilia, of course, blamed himself. Was he getting careless? Had he known, he would have never let Malleus take part in this assembly. The peace treaty in question has failed so many times that it’s become a sort of a yearly event in the court. Lilia also couldn’t fathom why she had taken her anger out on Malleus. Her choice of the crown prince was too cruel. Too unfair. Too unnecessary. It didn’t do any favours to Malleus as a future king either, portraying him as a weak prince unfit to rule. Looking at the panting Malleus, Lilia bit the inside of his cheek to stop his rage before talking to Malleus. He would feel it. Lilia wished it were him back there. Malleus’ only duty was to understand humans and find potential allies among them, not to deal with century-old issues and was, in his humble opinion, doing quite well. He even sent reports back. Lilia had an unspeakable thought of the state of Her Grace’s mind, but, he decided to keep it for himself, together with his head.

Malleus was brought to his room and Lilia sat him on the bed as he looked at him with much sympathy in his eyes. Malleus was just being reminded of how thankful he was for Lilia. He was the only true family he ever had. The feelings of gratefulness mixed with physical pain and tears uncontrollably fell down his cheeks, although Malleus let out no sobs. Lilia’s loving hand was on his head, patting him as he felt being pulled into a hug. This brought him back to his childhood when he would run to Lilia in tears for consolation every time grandmother would have him punished for the smallest of transgressions.

“So…what are you watching tonight? Is it Flaming-blue hair, or…what was that famous series called, the Prince of Lamentation?”

Malleus smiled, grateful for not being handed words of pity. As Lilia imbued him with his unique healing magic, Malleus noticed Lilia’s wristwatch and realised how late it had become, and just as he was going to get up, he lost his balance and almost fell, his fall was stopped by his guardian.

“Do not move. Are you in pain?”

“The usual. I need to go. I am already too late. I can’t have him wait for me for this long.”

“What you need to do is rest, Malleus.”

“It’s nothing I can’t bear. You know it’s not the first time.”

Lilia was frowning. Malleus was still so, so young, and so stubborn. Noticing the displeasure in his guardian’s face, he pleaded.

“I promised Idia I would come today. I want, no…need to see him. Her Grace has no more use for me now. Please don’t make me stay here any longer. Let me see him.”

Before Malleus decided to recklessly use magic after being exposed to Her Grace’s powerful magic, Lilia beat him to it. Malleus grumbled that he was fine but Lilia knew he wasn’t. Whenever something like this happened, Malleus would accumulate an unhealthy amount of blot quicker than usual in addition to malaise. Lilia couldn’t let that happen, especially not now. The ominous magic he felt in the air was the worst one he’s seen so far. What had the Queen of Thorns done to his baby? No matter. Lilia somehow knew that leaving him in Idia’s care might even be for the best. He was a Shroud, after all.

“Alright, alright, sweet prince. Hold onto me.”

Malleus was so exhausted that he couldn’t even object to Lilia using his magic to bring them back to NRC. Closing his eyes for a moment, Malleus was on the brink of passing out. It was never this bad before. No matter what had happened his grandmother can’t have used…

Just like that, the two of them were in Ignihyde in the blink of an eye. Lilia just dropped Malleus off and disappeared again in a swarm of bats. Malleus was glad that he could stand, but the room was spinning around him. He was greeted by Idia moments after, who seemed to have almost been running towards him and the moment he saw those heliodor eyes, he knew everything would be alright somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated 💙🖤


	19. Care

Malleus couldn’t keep his eyes open and he succumbed to fatigue as he slumped down on the sheets early at the beginning of the film. Idia, going on a hunch that something was indeed off, was glad that he had him sit on the bed from the start. He got a notification timestamped at 1:54 a.m. that said that Lilia Vanrouge was also in the dorm. Not to mention Malleus was in full armour. What’s up with that? It was too weird, even for him, to even be one’s idea of ‘dressing up’. Something didn’t add up. Ignoring it for a second, he looked at Malleus. He looked so peaceful in his sleep with the blue of the room illuminating his face. Idia grabbed a blanket from his closet and put it on him. The sight of Malleus covered by a fluffy white cover with blue cat paw prints on it was too cute that he wanted to take a picture. Just one. For him. No one will know. Taking out his phone, he leaned in, and only then did he notice Malleus slightly shaking. Something was definitely strange. Idia called for Ortho, who was at first annoyed at the interruption, but after being asked to do a health scan he jumped and quickly switched to his med gear body. Ortho’s readings made Idia’s blood freeze.

“Traces of unknown magic of an invasive type on his central nervous system. Assessing damage. 89%. Neuronal oscillations for pain are haywire. Neurotransmitter levels abnormal. Strong healing magic detected, but ineffective.” Invasive magic that was unresponsive to healing. If that was the case then the only answer would be…

“Torture magic…” Idia whispered, his hand was covering his mouth. He read about it once as part of extra credit for Trein. It was, obviously, forbidden magic, and as such they weren’t being taught anything to undo or deflect it because apparently, you couldn’t teach one without the other. Idia felt anger that only comes from disappointment in someone else’s stupidity. Then, what’s the point of magic school if you can’t defend yourself from such dangers? Also, why wasn’t there anyone in all these years who tried to invent a new spell or anything? Thinking this wasn’t needed and relying on labelling it ‘forbidden magic’ to do the trick was naïve from the person creating their curriculum. Well, the damage’s already been done. GG.

He was wondering whether he should report it to someone. But who? Crowley was out of the question…unreliable as he was. The other professors even more so. Malleus Draconia was one of the top 5 wizards in the world, and if he was brought to this state then…whoever did this to him must’ve been a formidable opponent and the useless adults who couldn’t even prevent overblots on campus were probably no match if the said person came for retaliation or something. This was too fishy.

Ortho continued with his scan; each piece of information worse.”

“Body temperature – 44.7 degrees, signs of inflammation present. Cause: magic. Scanning for internal bleeding. Scan complete. Present. Coagulation process detected. Projecting. Chances of rebleeding medium to low.”

Idia swore. The fever was bad news, but internal bleeding? Idia didn’t know if he could handle that. So, freaking out, he made a frenzied call to his mother and waited for her to answer. It was a 6 hour difference between here and the Isle so she must be awake. Letting the phone be on dial, Idia continued treating Malleus the best he could.

He slowly touched his cheek and felt that it was burning. 44.7 scared him. It’s way much higher than human. The research on fae was insufficient altogether, so Idia didn’t know how to interpret this. Was it a mild fever? Was it hyperpyrexia? Was it just a ‘normal’ fever and Idia was just freaking out? Judging from the convulsions, it would probably fall under either of the latter two. Although Ortho just read him the temperature, Idia reflexively put his hand on Malleus’ forehead, brushing his long bangs aside.

Doing so, he also noticed unusual markings on Malleus’ forehead that were usually hidden by his hair. The intricate design went along his hairline and seemed to be continuing upwards and beyond it, deeper into his tresses. It was, in Idia’s opinion, too beautiful to be hidden from the world, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was any reason for hiding them. Reprimanding himself that this wasn’t the time to ogle the fae prince, Idia redialled as he ran to the bathroom and grabbed his trusty medical supply box. Taking out a couple of cooling gel sheets, he put one on Malleus’ forehead. With Ortho’s help, they took off the ornate armour he was wearing. The clothes he wore underneath were drenched in sweat, so they decided to dress him in Idia’s clothes. An oversized t-shirt, a pair of boxer shorts and the only pair of sweatpants that didn’t have a hole in them. As Idia was dressing Malleus, he noticed a series of intricate, but old scars on his left side, spanning from his thigh, all over his chest and a bit on its arm. But, he had more pressing matters to attend to and, admiring the lean, well-defined body of Malleus Draconia truly wasn’t a priority, although the _pervert_ he was thought that it ought to be. He put another two cooling sheets on his wrists, and two on his groin, in the hopes to at least lower that fever down a bit. That’s what his mother always did when he was a child and it worked better than baths. Idia hoped it would work on Malleus. Now all he had to do was give him some antipyretics and pray for the best.

“Ortho…do you know Mr Malleus’ normal temperature by any chance?”

“Of course, brother. Loading thermal data from magift practice. 37.6 degrees when inactive. 37.9 after practice.”

No wonder his touch was always so warm. Adding another medicine in the IV bag, he finally connected Malleus to the drip. Idia was now thankful that his mother made him take the pharmaceutical certification exam last year otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to have such potent medicine on him. He should properly thank her…when she answers the damn call. Putting a light cover on and adjusting the room temperature, Idia sat on his gaming chair and looked at Malleus with worry written all over his face. Hunched over, with his elbows on his knees and hands joined in front of his face, Idia bit into the sleeve of his ultramarine shirt.

His mother finally answered the phone.

“Oh, Meli. I was in the middle of surgery. I just had a colleague take over so I could come to the phone. 10 missed calls. What’s wrong?”

Idia cringed at the nickname his mother was still intent on using. Then he proceeded to explain the situation and asked for urgent medical advice as he forwarded her Ortho’s scan data.

“It seems to me that you just need to let them rest and give them the usual IV mix, observe and see how it’s progressing. Do not hesitate to call me again if something goes wrong.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Love you. When are you coming home again?”

“I…I should go.”

Idia cut the call short. His first priority was Malleus.

Observing him for a few moments, Idia didn’t like how Malleus’ neck arched when placed flat down on a regular pillow. There seemed to be damage to his respiratory tract as well and he couldn’t allow to be careless now. In the lack of a better option, he slightly raised the angle of the upper part of his mattress and put a bunch of crumpled shirts around his horns for additional support and pushed the pillow lower to his shoulder blades. Since Malleus seemed to be breathing normally…for now, there was no need to use anything else. However, just in case, he ran to the Ignihyde med bay and took a bottle of oxygen together with his prototype breather…just in case. Better safe than sorry. When he came back, the first thing he did was ask Ortho for a body temperature check.

“Scanning. Current body temperature 44.2 degrees. 0.5 decrease detected.”

It was not the improvement Idia was looking for, but it was better than nothing. He did everything he could at this point, and all that was left for him to do was wait.

Ortho gave him another piece of information.

“Brother… Psychological distress detected. Sleep waves abnormal. Malleus Draconia is having a nightmare. Heartbeat is elevated.”

He didn’t look like he was. His face was expressionless, almost peaceful. Nevertheless, Idia took his hand. He knew that it couldn’t fix anything but, it was better than doing nothing. Gently caressing his cheek and moving the sweat-soaked hair away, he still felt the fever radiating from Malleus’ skin.

“You will be alright, I promise.” he whispered and, going completely out of character, leaned in and gently placed a kiss on Malleus’ temple as he patted him on the head. It’s been six years since he last kissed someone, that he almost forgot how skin of another felt on the lips.

Although Idia regretted nothing, he wondered what it was that just compelled him to do something unnecessarily _creepy_ like that. If he said it was just compassion for someone sick, it wouldn’t be the complete truth. It was _perverted_ , what he did, he was well aware, but, this would probably be the only chance he would ever get to be this close to the fae prince again, so, rejoicing in his _depravity_ , he, once again, refocused his attention to Malleus’ needs. Idia dozed off at some point half-way through that dreaded book of his uncle’s as he watched over Malleus’ vitals.

Malleus was awoken by intense pain. Remembering its cause, he was cautious not to make any sudden movements and assess his whereabouts first. His surroundings were far too pleasant for it to be his grandmother’s dungeon, so, opening his eyes first without moving a muscle, he looked around him. He was in a very blue, very familiar room, and Idia was next to him holding his hand. As he shifted, Idia awoke and smiled at him so gently, with the loveliest smile Malleus had ever seen. It was too unreal, so he asked whether he was dead.

“Why…Just because I’m praying to the God of the Dead from time to time doesn’t mean I’m in charge of all things afterlife, you know.” said Idia through a chuckle and Malleus smiled back. So, he was still alive. That was a good sign. Malleus tried to get up but a sharp pain in his abdomen made him reconsider. Also, there was a warning from Idia not to move that he ignored. He felt nauseous after that wave of pain and the next thing he saw was Idia placing his dustbin in front of him with a swiftness Malleus never knew Idia was capable of and was already holding his hair back as Malleus emptied the contents of his stomach in quick and bloody bursts. Malleus was so embarrassed that he looked away but Idia didn’t react in the slightest and just let go of his hair. A tissue and a bottle of water were handed to Malleus next. This all seemed like a well-practiced routine. How many times had Idia done this, he wondered as he rinsed out his mouth and dried them with the tissue?

“Are you in pain?” Idia asked, which Malleus denied at first. That’s what he’d been taught. Pain is a liability for others to exploit so you must endure it for the Kingdom.

“This isn’t the time to play the tough guy, Mr Malleus. On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?” Malleus nodded as he caved in. This wasn’t an enemy asking. It was his lovely Idia who did nothing but help him. He could make this stop too. 

“T…ten. Can you…can you make it stop? Please?”

“I can. Do you trust me?”

Malleus couldn’t do anything but nod. _Pressure much? I don’t even trust myself._

“It’s going to be okay. I got you. I am here. Whatever you need.”

Idia stepped away for a second. Ortho grabbed Malleus’ hand instead. Malleus was so tired, everything hurt and his head was throbbing as the room spun around him that he didn’t even notice what was going on around him. He closed his eyes and just listened to the sound of Idia’s voice, even though he couldn’t understand anything he was saying because at one point him and his brother transitioned to their mother tongue, and Malleus was mesmerised by just how romantic and musical it sounded. There was also a female voice joining them at some point. Not having the strength to stay awake, Malleus drifted away in sleep not soon after.

▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲

Idia was on the phone with Mother for at least two hours, receiving instructions on him to properly administer medical grade nanobots, per her recommendation. He was not supposed to have them outside of the Isle. They were strictly guarded tech with harsh import-export regulations, but Idia, his mind set on taking them back to NRC to check for magical compatibility, actually managed to find a loophole which let him take them, as long as they were used for research purposes, and didn’t go over a specified amount. With his mother’s permission, of course. As for actual research he planned on doing in the future, that went down the drain in this very moment.

When the bots finished doing their magic Idia felt just a little proud of himself because what he just did was not a small task, even with the guidance of an expert.

Idia couldn’t sleep. The euphoria of doing something challenging was keeping him awake. Lucky for him, because now he could watch over Malleus even more closely, just in case, and do some other stuff he planned for the evening. Sleeping is useless anyways.

He worried about Ortho being online for so long, so he had him go back to his pod the moment he realized Malleus was stable enough. Idia started a game, but but his mind was all over the place. His guild mates teased him for being in love. Idia chuckled and changed the topic. However, he could not be at his best for them, so he took an early leave. It was already around 7 a.m. Idia wondered how Malleus Draconia even ended up being exposed to torture magic? He can’t have tried to learn it on his own and have it backfire on him. If that were the case, he would definitely keep it all hush hush and not be falling apart in Ignihyde, and, what was more bizarre, he was in full armour. What’s up with that? Did he come straight from battle? This was all too sinister for his liking. Did Lilia Vanrouge just drop Malleus off to Idia knowing he could help heal him? Was the ineffective healing magic his? Fae were pretty adept magic users so to think that Lilia’s magic didn’t work…Whatever it was that had transpired, Idia didn’t want to get involved in conspiracy theories for a change. They were not as fun when they happened in his vicinity.

Shaking it off, Idia took his tablet and started drawing, as Malleus desperately needed better support for his neck. The shirts were just a temporary solution. So, opening the CAD program he helped develop for his father’s best friend’s software company, he started brainstorming. This could also be a good opportunity to test the compatibility of the indie printing utility with an app different from the default.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after 54k words, there's finally something close to a kiss.  
> Is this too slow for a slow burn? Am I evil? Asking for a friend 😅
> 
> ▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, as always.  
> Comments are very much appreciated 💙🖤


	20. Secret

Malleus woke up in the morning with the sound of Crewel’s voice coming from afar. What a dreadful way to start the day. However, after opening his eyes and seeing Idia Shroud right in front of him, he changed his mind. Idia was seated in his chair with his eyes closed. His flaming hair was still tied, and he wore the same clothes as yesterday. Had he slept in that chair? Malleus felt guilty for being the cause of it. When he is well, he will make sure to make it up to him.

Behind him, on the screen, the defensive magic class was taking place. Malleus only vaguely remembered the events of last night, but he knew where he was and remembered how he got there. Everything still hurt, but not so much that he couldn’t move. The sight of Idia sleeping would be the first one for him and it soothed him in a specific kind of way. He wanted to move a bit closer. The moment Malleus shifted a bit, Idia opened his eyes and smiled at him, wishing him a good morning. Malleus was saddened that he ruined such a lovely moment.

“Idia…”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?”

“Seven...No, six? I think.”

Well, it was better than he expected. He looked a little better too, but there was still a long way to full recovery. Idia glanced at his vitals on the tablet, and the medicine levels in the IV, so far, everything was under control.

“Thank you…for everything.” Malleus was about to get up but the scene from last night happened and, once again, he threw up in Idia’s dustbin, with a little less blood this time.

“I am so, so sorry about this.” He said, as he took a sip of water Idia gave him and he tried getting up again but was stopped by Idia’s firm hold on his shoulder. There was a strictness in his voice Malleus had never heard before.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m…fine now. I should go back to Diasomnia…”

“Like hell you are! You aren’t leaving this room until you’re properly healed.”

“I’ve burdened you enough. I will recover. I just need time. Do not worry.”

“You are literally vomiting blood. Yeah, nothing to worry about…no big deal and all.”

“This is not the first time…I am fine.”

Idia’s frustration was more visible. His demeanour became more menacing as he pointed his finger at him like he was scolding him. There was also a groan. The usually worried brows furrowed that they clearly portrayed anger. Idia could be scary when he wanted to. Malleus could’ve sworn that the tips of his hair were turning orange.

“That’s even worse! Listen here, Mr Malleus. I don’t care if it’s the first, the hundredth or the millionth time and if you think you’ll be fine, because right now you’re the farthest thing from ‘fine’ I have ever seen in my life. You need constant medical attention.” He emphasised the last part of the sentence as he crossed his arms.

“I can receive medical attention in my dorm.”

Malleus was behaving like a stubborn child. Having had his fair share of experience with stubborn sick children, Ortho included, he was quick to notice that there was some sort of fear of being treated. So, he explained, this time with a softer tone, why he would need to stay put for a while.

“Mr Malleus… I don’t know what happened to you and I’m not going to ask, but you have at least five processes going on inside of your body right now that may be lethal if left untreated and you must be monitored at all times because of it. I doubt Diasomnia has the medical equipment I do. I cannot let you walk away and do irreversible damage to yourself. Not on my watch. Now, sit tight and rest. This is non-negotiable. If you have any issues with it fight me…if you can.”

The teasing grin on Idia’s face told Malleus that Idia knew he wasn’t capable of using magic at the moment, but he was worried to what extent he knew. On the other hand, he trusted Idia when he said he wouldn’t ask. That should be enough. And yet…

“You should listen to brother, Malleus Draconia.” Ortho chimed in. “He is really good at taking care of people. Let him help.”

Malleus was torn. His upbringing would’ve never allowed him to incur a debt like this and become a liability. On the other hand, there was no code of conduct here, no courtiers watching his every move and reporting on any minor _faux pas_ he would make. He could be selfish here. He was curious how it would feel being cared for by Idia. Finally, he caved in and Ortho let out a loud ‘yes!’ as he curled his fists and waved them around his head, the same way Idia did not so long ago. Once again, he thought how brothers are a wonderful thing.

“Thank you for all you’re doing for me.”

“It’s just the bare minimum. Thank me when you recover.”

Malleus nodded and thanked Idia again. This just added to his confirmation that Idia Shroud was a kind man. But, more importantly, it was fascinating to Malleus that a college boy could have so much medical equipment in his room that it could suffice for a small hospital. He wondered how that came to be. He did read a little bit about the Shrouds a while ago and learnt that his mother was a distinguished physician in the Isle, if not beyond, and that her side of the family also boasts many exceptional doctors. Did he learn the craft from her? If so, then it was truly impressive of Idia, given his young age.

“Are you hungry?”, asked Idia as he interrupted Malleus’ train of thought. Malleus did not feel hunger until Idia mentioned it.

“A little.”

Idia reached for something on his desk. A silver-ish bag of something with letters Malleus couldn’t read but knew was from the Isle of Lamentation.

“I’m sorry but you’ll be on a diet of nutritional supplements for a couple of days. It’s not that bad, but, let me warn you, you’ll get bored of it pretty soon. Also, someone’s here to see you.”

The door clicked open and Lilia entered the room. What worried Malleus was that he didn’t have his usual smile on his face and was looking rather tired. Almost running to the bed, Lilia kneeled before it and kissed Malleus’ hand and put it on his forehead.

Idia felt uncomfortable with this intimate interaction unravelling in front of his eyes because he felt like he was interrupting something sacred, so, he excused himself. He had to check on the projection mapping progress anyways so this was a perfect opportunity to take his leave. Maybe he could also take a shower in the meantime and have some breakfast.

“I’ll…uh…leave you guys alone. When you’re done ask CERBERUS and be sure to call him by name so he can activate. You can let me know when to come back. You’ll have full privacy until then. Mr Malleus, say something after the beep.”

A mechanic voice was heard in the room.

“Initiating one-time protocol 17.0.061 Voice recognition, on. Input voice data.” Malleus awkwardly said his name as instructed and the Shroud brothers left the room, leaving the two fae to talk.

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The impromptu dorm meeting Idia called for after he ran into one of the students went well and he was satisfied with the progress they were making on the projection mapping and couldn’t wait to finally get Crowley to let him into the library by night to test it out. Apparently, the staff were having meetings there after hours and no one was allowed in, although for what reason he didn’t even want to know. He lingered a bit in the meeting room as many of his dorm mates, especially the younger ones, had lots of questions about the project, and Idia was glad to help. This was one of the rare instances where he felt like he was actually doing something good and he wouldn’t throw it away, although it did require him to talk to people in real life. But that was alright. They were all kindred spirits of Ignihyde, a bunch of outcasts and losers and they understood each other.

He then went to the shower, but there was someone there, so he decided against it. He then had some food in the kitchen and then lurked around the lounge, waiting for CERBERUS to let him know when he could go back to the room. He then played _Star rogue_ with Ortho and was frustrated for losing horribly. There was no way he could ever defeat Ortho now. The days when he could win against his baby brother remained as faint memories of the far past, together with those of a warm and close-knit family. Deciding not to dwell on what was lost forever, he asked Ortho to change the game. The highly-anticipated notification came after a while and the Shroud brothers went back to their room. Lilia was at the door, asking to speak to Idia in private, so, he took him to the only place that he knew was always empty – the 3D printing room. Idia had never seen a serious Lilia Vanrouge in his life and all of the unknown things that were happening right now were just adding to his anxiety. What should he say? Idia was too busy with picking at the skin around his nails and he tried avoiding starting the conversation. He pulled too hard so now his thumb was bleeding. Pressing it to his lips to stop it, he failed to notice Lilia standing right in front of him, as opposed to the counter with smaller printers he observed a moment ago. The height difference was uncanny, and Idia never thought he would be so afraid of someone so small. Looking down to avoid eye contact wasn’t an option anymore. Great.

“You know, biting your nails is a nasty habit.”

Ashamed at the remark, he put his hand in his pocket and tried to divert his attention to something else. Maybe even start the conversation. Wishful thinking but here goes.

“So…”

“We have caused you great trouble, Idia.”

“By we you mean you because I totally saw you come to the dorm and drop Malleus off like a package.” Idia murmured to himself, as he usually would when he felt nervous.

Choosing to ignore Idia’s remarks, Lilia thanked him for everything he’s done in a very warm tone that suddenly shifted to ominous and Idia felt uneasy.

“This must remain a secret.”

Was that it? He didn’t feel the need to have this pointed out because that was a bare minimum for him. Why was there a need to specify it, and in such a threatening tone. So, in an attempt to diffuse the tension in the room, Idia explained how his room is forbidden territory and that nobody will ever know about Malleus ever being there. 

“You are playing dumb, Idia. That’s not what I’m referring to.”

Idia was fully uncomfortable now. Of course, there was a sinister side to this conversation from the very start and it was stupid of him to assume otherwise. He knew exactly what Lilia was implying, but there’s no way he would talk about it. He preferred pretending it didn’t exist, for his own sanity. Moving to the main and the largest printer at the back of the room, Idia tried to keep himself busy and avoid any more glances as he checked the debug report on the nearby screen. He wasn’t playing dumb, he was simply trying to avoid a conversation he wasn’t willing to have not now, not ever.

“I doubt a genius like you is not aware of what caused it all.”

“I am under oath not to disseminate anyone’s medical details.”

“Oath, you say?

The condescending way Lilia phrased this made Idia’s skin crawl. He knows that tone. He heard Azul threaten someone who’s wronged him numerous times. That’s it. He’s done for. He will be eliminated in a matter of hours by some black-OPS fae, or worse, by Lilia Vanrouge himself. The end was near. Definitely the worst ending possible. Just thinking about that made his anxiety worse and his heart was beating uncomfortably fast and his hands were becoming sweatier. He couldn’t say anything, and the only thing that came out of his mouth were just his uneven breaths. He did not want this interaction in the slightest. He was tired, the room was spinning around him, and he didn’t want to think of a hundred different ways he could perish.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but, the oath you’ve sworn is valid only as long as you’re on the Isle of Lamentation.”

The printer started moving again, its jagged sound bringing Idia back to reality. He’s not going down without a fight. His first thought was that if something were to happen to him Ortho would be all alone in this cold, cruel world and that was unacceptable. He had promises to him he intended to keep someday. 

“It’s valid everywhere if you care enough to live by it.”

“Which you do, I assume?”

Just as he was about to nod, Lilia was hanging upside down, staring straight into Idia’s eyes with a wide grin on his face. This was even more uncomfortable, and he was fully terrified now. He really let his mouth run this time. It’s common knowledge at this point that angering the fae is never a good idea and Lilia was even bigger of a mystery than Malleus was. Here it comes. The final blow. Idia closed his eyes. Out of the blue, Lilia completely changed the topic.

“Malleus was right. Your eyes are indeed closer to heliodor than amber. I guess I lose.”

Shocked at how random that statement was, Idia slowly opened his eyes, wincing ever so slightly to check if there was nothing sharp flying at his general direction. So, he wouldn’t kill him…right now. That’s a relief. He tried calming down a bit. Lilia was no longer upside-down and was next to Idia, looking at the printer with childlike amusement.

“I deem you trustworthy, Idia Shroud. You have my sincerest gratitude, for everything.”

Idia was too shaken to do anything else but nod. Was Lilia Vanrouge bowing to him while showing him a peace sign at the same time? This was so unreal.

“You can name any reward you want.”

He shook his head, as he always would, but then, something about this approach intrigued him for a while. So, treading carefully, he asked.

“Alright. There is something.”

Lilia raised an eyebrow. According to what Malleus told him, Idia would never ask for anything. Was the silly boy just idealising his romantic interest again? It goes without saying that all humans were greedy bastards and no matter how ‘kind’, ‘gentle’, or rich they were, they always wanted more riches and splendour. Lilia was now convinced and was making a mental note to say this to Malleus as soon as he was feeling better. He ought to warn him that, for the millionth time, someone he liked was portraying an image of modesty to Malleus while not missing the chance to show his inner greed when his back was turned. He warned him of this many times, but Malleus just refused to listen and ended up heartbroken every time.

“I want…I want you to tell me what’s the deal with rewards you guys offer for every tiny little thing? You’re just rewarding mediocrity. What’s up with that?”

Lilia’s chuckle filled the empty room. Malleus was not just looking at Idia through a fog of infatuation, for a change. He was actually right that Idia Shroud had a kind heart. Relieved that Malleus was becoming more and more mature in his choices, Lilia proceeded to explain fae customs to Idia in brief. Idia was listening attentively and took notes on his tablet. The basic gist of it was that they realized humans found their pebbles valuable, so they used it so as not to make more enemies. But as times progressed, the custom to reward anyone for a good deed stayed ingrained in all fae and the choice of rewards also increased in scope and in content.

“I see…” Idia was nose-deep in his tablet, still writing something. Lilia was almost starting to see the charms Malleus saw in Idia Shroud. Humans who sought knowledge over riches were a rare kind, and Lilia himself only met a few of them in his life.

“If that is all, I shall take my leave then. Malleus must be yearning to see you too. Do not keep him waiting too long. He is quite moody when he’s not feeling well.” Lilia grinned as he vanished in a swarm of bats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated 💙🖤
> 
> Ok so the new _game _chapter is out and it messed me up more than I would like to admit and if someone wants to, hug me pls 😭__


	21. Happiness

One thing that always made Idia’s heart melt was how Ortho would always be so excited when Idia came back from anywhere, no matter if he were only away for a few minutes. He would always yell ‘brother’ and run towards him for a high-five.

“Malleus Draconia was telling me about the Valley of Thorns! I want to go! Can we go? We can go, right, brother?”

He gently pinched Ortho’s cheek as he smiled at his precious baby brother. He will go, if Ortho wants to. He will step out of his comfort zone and do it for him. Besides, visiting Malleus’ home country could be an interesting type of exposure therapy.

“Sure, little owl.”

Coming back to Malleus’ bed…well, Idia’s bed that Malleus currently occupied, Idia sat next to the two dear people and heard Malleus say how overjoyed he was for hearing that. The fae prince was smiling so earnestly and the sight of the two adorable pointy teeth peeking from below those perfectly shaped lips made Idia’s heart flutter. So, to diffuse the mess that was happening inside of his head, he handed Malleus the freshly printed memory foam pillow that he almost forgot about, and with it, a towel because he had no pillowcase for it yet. Malleus’ expression changed into that of pure pleasure as he tested it out, nearly moaning as he closed his eyes. Malleus’ reaction was too much for Idia to handle. He must not be having such _perverted_ thoughts about someone who was kind enough to even let him be his friend, so, once again, he took his phone in his hand, any distraction was very much welcome. His magicamera offered little comfort because apparently a lewd cosplay week started trending this morning and everybody was jumping on the bandwagon. The Fates were testing him and Idia knew he had to get distracted by something else not as fun. He tried not to look at Malleus and think how he was wearing his clothes, down to the underwear. Heat was building up in his cheeks and all his efforts seemed to be futile. If this were an anime he would be suffering a nosebleed right now. So, clearing his throat he asked additional health-related questions and input them into his tablet. Some of the questions made Malleus uncomfortable, but Idia was unfazed and explained how he needed to know ‘disgusting’ details like that to measure the progress of Malleus’ internal bleeding situation he had going on. Since, according to Malleus, there was no unwanted blood where there usually shouldn’t be any, he felt relieved and he leaned back into his chair. As he did that, his body felt heavy and he could barely keep his eyes open. With an unanswered question of when he last slept at the back of his mind, Idia dropped his head down and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

Malleus was worried and the immense guilt of taking Idia’s bed kicked in and he was just about to get up, but Ortho, being even scarier than Idia, practically forced Malleus to stay put. In the next moment, he pulled out a thin mattress of some kind from below the bed and ushered the sleepy Idia from his chair down on the floor.

“Brother…come on. You need to lie down. Come on.”

Idia moved, his eyes barely open, and he slumped down with a murmur which Malleus couldn’t understand, but it was sweet nonetheless.

Ortho covered his brother with a thin, triangle-patterned blanket as he put a pillow below his head. Malleus smirked as he appreciated Idia’s quirky love for that particular print. Such idiosyncrasies of Idia’s were absolutely lovely and he wondered what else was there for him to discover.

Then, not being sure if it were a cultural thing, Malleus asked about the mattress. He had only encountered few cultures that still slept so low on the floor. He couldn’t remember sleeping on one even when him and Lilia visited the Isle in his childhood. Ortho offered an explanation which was too Idia-like that made him want to laugh for a second, before stopping himself in his tracks by Ortho’s worried face.

“Brother always puts stuff on his bed and then uses it as an excuse not to sleep even when he’s tired. This was the only way I could think of to get him to rest.”

“Does he do that often?”

Ortho glanced at his brother and frowned.

“More than he should.”

Malleus felt uneasy with that information. He valued his sleep very much and to think that someone was forcing themselves to stay awake was unimaginable for him. He looked down at the flaming hair and realized it was within his reach, and, wanting to put his hand on Idia’s head he stopped when his eyes met Ortho’s watchful gaze.

“May I?”

“If you don’t plan on using any magic on brother, yes.”

Malleus proceeded and put his fingers in Idia’s locks. They felt pleasantly warm and soft, like something was lovingly hugging his hand. He always wondered what his hair would feel like between his fingers.

Ortho’s eyes widened and then closed like every time he would smile as he squealed. Malleus picked up on it and asked about the unusual reaction.

“Brother actually loves having his head scratched, you know. But he never lets anyone touch his hair because…it burns human skin.”

“Well, I’m not…human, little one.”

Humans were indeed weak and frail. His own flames were a thousand times stronger than Idia’s hair could ever be.

Ortho’s expression turned neutral and he observed Malleus stroke his brother’s head. After a while he inquired with a sadness in his voice.

“What does it feel like?”

Idia never put any advanced sense receptors in him so he didn’t know. Because of that, he was never able to decode certain memories within him that included anything that was more sensory than basic light touches. He asked brother about it many times, but it was always something that Idia was adamantly against. Although Ortho hoped his brother would cave in again, like the feet upgrade to his active gear, sense receptors were something Idia thought as taboo and would never discuss it any further than ‘no’. He always wondered why but brother never told him and would never budge no matter how many times he asked.

Malleus tried to explain the sensation to Ortho, but his explanations seemed to be insufficient for the boy to grasp. Not knowing what else to say, Malleus explained it in abstract terms.

“Your brother’s hair feels like…happiness. Like that tingling feeling you get in your heart when you feel like the world around you is the perfect place for you to be and you do not need anything else.”

“Oh! I know that feeling!” Ortho smiled again and took Idia’s hand in his and hugged it. “When I’m with brother, I feel like that.” There was a slight pause as he brought Idia’s hand to his face and pressed it against his cheek. “Do you?”

Taken aback by the blunt question, Malleus stopped stroking Idia’s locks for a second. He didn’t know exactly what Ortho was asking. Was it ‘Do you know that feeling’, or ‘Do you feel that way when you’re with my brother’?

The answer was obvious for both, and yet, it was hard to answer the second one. He had only confided in Lilia how happy Idia made him, and even then, he was reluctant to share. Not because of shame or judgment, but because he feared it would be corrupted by evil spirits if he said it out loud. However, nothing bad happened so far, and he could trust the little Shroud enough to know jealousy wouldn’t ruin something beautiful. Going back to stroking Idia’s hair, he finally replied that he did, to which Ortho smiled again, although more mischievously this time, making Malleus think that he was hiding, or plotting something. Ortho’s question implied the latter thought, he was now certain.

Idia shifted in his sleep and Malleus withdrew his hand, not wanting to make Idia uncomfortable. The dorm leader woke up moments after with a jolt and in a frenzy, he asked how long he was out for. Ortho tried ordering him to go back to sleep because not even 30 minutes passed, to which he retorted it was enough and that he had to check the painkiller status in Malleus’ IV drip and that there’s no time for him to lie around like a good-for-nothing.

“Malleus Draconia is fine, brother. Everything is under control. Go back to sleep. Now.”

Looking around, Idia realised that Malleus was well awake and more in a sitting position, softly smiling at him. Although he wasn’t happy with Malleus sitting up this soon, he did look a bit better, and had it been a danger Ortho would never have allowed it. Idia smiled back but felt his throat tighten. He saw such a wonderful dream where Malleus was so gentle and loving towards him that he almost wished he didn’t wake up. Waking up with the regret that something like that would stay in the realm of dreams forever, Idia tried to get up and reach for his tablet but Ortho threatened him that he would spray him with sedatives if he didn’t go back to sleep. Malleus thought how Ortho was a force to be reckoned with and he chuckled at how quickly he shut down Idia’s repeated ‘I’m fine’ and was infinitely amused by their relationship, as always.

“Time is running out, Ortho. There’s so much stuff we have to finish today.”

Ortho protested, but stopped when Idia pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you for taking care of me. I’ll sleep before midnight tonight, I promise. So, don’t worry. I am fine.”

Ortho nodded in defeat. He knew his brother was stubborn like that and all he could do was take some burden off him so that he wouldn’t force himself too much.

“I think I need a shower”, Idia said through a sigh as he grabbed the edge of his desk and got up. His jaw was almost going to drop when Malleus asked if he could join him. _Not in that way. Calm down._ Idia’s heart was racing. This was not happening. Not now. He would be a rather bad host if he denied his guest such a basic right, so, he offered Malleus to take him to the showers, but warned him to be really careful as he was still under risk of rebleeding and said every bit and piece of boring information so he himself could calm down in light of the proposition.

“I’ll help you up. Hold onto me. Slowly, now…Grab my waist.”

Although Idia looked thin and frail, he was much stronger than Malleus expected. He managed to lift him up with ease. The two of them made their way to the showers, but Malleus was feeling he was getting his strength back so he didn’t lean on Idia as much.

Idia’s heart was going to jump out of his chest. This is the closest to him Malleus Draconia had ever been and he was so, so warm that all Idia wanted to do was snuggle close to him and keep that warmth for himself forever. Ortho tagged along behind them just in case, and carried toiletries for the two of them.

Having reached the gloomy showers, Idia explained the locker system in brief and handed Malleus a chair to sit on while in the stall so he wouldn’t exert himself too much by standing. He let Malleus have the closest one to the door, so Ortho could help him on his way back. He did warn him to be quick to return to the room because of the IV drip. Idia, as always, took the last stall and shut himself inside. He let cold water run all over his body as he washed himself, starting from the hair first, as he always would. He had the slightest modicum of decency to wait for Malleus and Ortho to leave and only then did he slide his hand down between his legs. It’s been a while since he’s last done this, and although he tried his best to suppress his urges, everything that has been pent up in the last couple of days, including today’s cherry-on-top short dream culminated in this _disgusting display of depravity_. He tried his best to stop any indecent images of Malleus in his head and to just mindlessly indulge in the pure physical need, although he did slip up a couple of times. His release came not long after. Panting with his other hand over his mouth, he felt a wave of embarrassment as he quickly washed away the proof of his shameful desires with the coldest water setting, lathered himself in body wash again to buy time until he regained his composure. Changing into a new set of clothes, Idia slowly headed back, as if nothing had happened.

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Back in the room, Malleus was no longer wearing Idia’s clothes. Lilia must’ve brought a change earlier which was also kind of saddening because Malleus looked otherworldly in his galaxy shirt with fat cats printed all over it. The armour Malleus came in was no longer in the room either. Malleus was now wearing a loose, graphite-grey linen shirt with an elaborate golden seam around the sleeves and with same golden-threaded lace in a zig-zag pattern near his collar. If that was his sleepwear, then the Valley of Thorns was too fancy for Idia to comprehend. Nevertheless, the fae prince looked stunning, as always. Malleus and Ortho were playing with their Gao Gaos, and even the phone Idia gave him made an appearance on the bed. Taking a seat next to him on the chair, Idia handed him one of the supplement bags and, after a few moments of watching him drink it up, Idia thought how anytime Malleus did something so mundane as eating or drinking made Idia blissful. He remembered all those instances of them eating and he couldn’t help but feel blessed for witnessing something so cute in person. As he looked at him, he wondered how was it that the planets aligned just right that they brought them to this point in time. Under normal circumstances there never would’ve been any relationship to speak of. Now when he thought about it, princes and cursed creatures should never mix, and yet, here they are. Lucky they weren’t living in a fairytale, because the only outcome of their encounter would be the destruction of one by the other. Idia’s thoughts were turning nonsensical now so he took out his phone to check on his gacha updates. He then asked Malleus about his assignment and regretted it instantly, because the look of happiness he had was replaced with a sulking one in the very second. It was already Thursday afternoon and there was no way Malleus would ever finish it in time. Unless Idia helped him. It was, indeed, his time to shine.

“Don’t look so sad, Mr Malleus. You still have seven and a half hours. I’ll help you. Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“No…I am completely out of ideas and there’s nothing I remember from Tuesday.”

Idia bit the tip of his tablet pen and thought of a plan.

“Well, you have time to watch two more short films and then just brainstorm. Then you’ll still have four or so hours to churn out a text.”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm but, writing it would take longer than that.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I have a plan. For starters, here, I’ll play something for you. Hold still and relax. And tell me when the painkiller wears off. Immediately. It’s really important.”

Idia handed him a pair of headphones, a pen and a block of paper to use.

“Ortho and I have something else to finish up, so we won’t be joining you this time.”

“You are leaving me?” the pout on his face was now visible, and Idia felt so heartbroken that he had to assure his friend they weren’t leaving him, but they were just going to be on the other side of the room to do some work on their Halloween costume. Malleus looked at the interesting, never before seen U-shaped blue headphones that were handed to him. Idia noticed he was struggling with putting them on, so he offered to help.

“Here. Let me.”

Idia took the headphones from Malleus’ hands, and the brushing of their skin together once again sent shivers down his spine. Why was he having such reactions to Malleus every time? He thought the feeling would disappear after his ‘scene’ in the shower but it just came back even stronger to hit him straight on the head. He hated himself for all the inappropriate thoughts that occupied his brain most of the time. He was a _deviant,_ after all, so, in a _pathetic_ attempt to justify himself, he reasoned that trying to fake he wasn’t one was futile. On the other hand, he couldn’t stoop so low and do that to Malleus, of all people. He was the last one who should be the unwilling object of his _perverseness_ and he didn’t deserve it. Idia will suppress everything he feels which is different from friendship. Lock it up so far up into his brain he will forget such thoughts ever existed. He should count the blessings he already had in his pathetic little life and not dare ask for more.

So, shifting his attention back to the headphones, he slowly put them behind Malleus head and set them gently so each part could comfortably nest on his elongated ears. This model in particular was marketed as the most comfortable one as it didn’t press on the skin. That applied for human ears, but, there was no worry that they would be uncomfortable even for Malleus. However, something happened that made Idia completely let his plan of keeping everything between them platonic go down the drain. Unsure whether subconsciously or by his own design, he moved a strand of Malleus’ hair behind his ear as he fixed the headphones. He absolutely didn’t have to touch his hair like that. What was worse, he wasn’t able to stop himself only once, he did it again on the other side and revelled in the silkiness of Malleus’ hair for a moment. Only when Malleus reached out to his own loose hair, did he get back to reality and backed away with a muffled ‘sorry’. Then he gave Malleus a bigger tablet than the one he used for regular classes, did something with his back turned and left him alone. Feeling too awkward for what he had done, he quickly moved away to the other side of his room where Ortho was already waiting with the black armour parts laid out on the floor.

Malleus was confused, but also glad at the same time. This was the first time Idia touched him in such a loving way, and out of his own volition at that. Malleus’ heart skipped a beat. He was now certain that there was at least an inkling of attraction Idia felt towards him and it made him elated. He could also discern that the fiery-haired man was desperately trying too hard not to let his emotions out. He remembered all the interactions they had up until this moment, and berated himself for not realising that sooner. Content with the first notions of love blooming between them, Malleus laid further down into the mattress and relaxed as he watched the ridiculous show Idia recommended. Just a little bit more, and Malleus’ original plan would bear fruit. He would finally be able to tell Idia how wonderful and loved he was without any restraints. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated 💙🖤  
> ▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━━▽▲▽▲━━━▽▲▽▲


	22. Moody

The two shows Idia recommended to Malleus have finally ended and the fae prince took off the headphones. Only now could he hear loud noise coming from the other side of the room as Idia and Ortho were building something that was by the looks of it designed for Ortho. The headphones he was given blocked out every outside sound and, once again, he was baffled by human ingenuity when it came to such trivial matters.

He wanted to watch the brothers work, but there was something more important on his mind, so, calling out to Idia, he asked for a favour.

“I am worried about my research society. What if today was finally the day new members came and I wasn’t there to greet them? It would be in poor taste.”

“I’m not letting you set one foot out of this room, though.”

There it was again. Malleus’ adorable sulking face made a surprise appearance. It was becoming really dear to Idia, but he also hated it at the same time because the more he got to see it the more he was convinced that happiness suited Malleus better.

“What I can do is, lend you my tablet so you can check up on what’s going on.”

“I can take it there!” Ortho joined the conversation and was already holding it in his hand.

Malleus’ heart felt like it would melt, because this was not what he expected. Moved by the kindness bestowed by the Shroud brothers, he gladly took them up on their offer. He was always curious how the notorious tablet operated from the inside anyways.

Ortho left not soon after. It took him some time to reach the main campus, so, Idia and Malleus engaged in idle chatter until Ortho got back to them again. Idia used this opportunity to check on the painkiller and saw that it has already run out, but Malleus did not say anything. Hoping he was healing properly, he asked Malleus if he felt any pain. It was a two out of ten, and Malleus thought he shouldn’t even bother reporting on it. Idia rolled his eyes and reprimanded the fae prince not to do it again, after which he proceeded to fumble through his box for a new vial as Malleus asked for a bathroom break. Stopping in his tracks, Idia helped him up, and even though Malleus was regaining his strength at a pace he never saw in anyone before, Idia wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of letting Malleus get hurt because he let his guard down so early on in the healing process. Idia waited for Malleus to finish and asked a couple of medical-related questions as he walked the fae prince back to the bed. Idia was content when he heard there was no more unwanted blood anywhere, and he ought to tell Mother that the nanobot therapy worked even with all the limitations he had. As Idia helped him get back into the bed and lovingly tucked him in, Malleus engaged in conversation with a question.

“Aren’t you even a little bit curious?”

“About…?”

Malleus gestured towards his entire body. Idia was now too preoccupied with replacing his IV bag that he replied only after finishing writing down the vial serial number and other information on his tablet with his index finger up. Malleus waited for the reply as he revelled in the beauty of Idia’s focused face.

“I… promised you I wouldn’t ask, and that’s, um, fine by me.”

Malleus was relieved. It was refreshing to know that someone wasn’t going to use his misfortune as a bargaining chip for a change. Malleus shuddered at the thought how dire the knowledge of him being in this state, could’ve harmed the Valley, and Her Grace. He could just imagine the neighbouring kingdoms swooping in to attack after hearing that the bane of their existence, the ‘demon heir apparent’ was now bedridden. It wouldn’t have been the first time. Not wanting to think about that, he turned his attention back to the wonderful fiery-haired man in front of him and told him that he didn’t mind questions and offered to answer any he could…within reason. Idia’s eyes lit up in excitement as he spoke, and Malleus couldn’t contain his amusement at what Idia was interested in.

“Promise me you won’t get annoyed with me.”

“I promise. But I may choose not to reply.”

“Well…your armour is… really cool and I was thinking if I could see it again…at one point, um…before Halloween?”

This was not how he imagined this conversation would go in the slightest, so he laughed and, in his disbelief, asked Idia to repeat the question again, which he did. Idia’s eyes glistened with excitement as he spoke, and Malleus felt like he could get lost in them. He was also glad that this was the longest eye-contact they’ve ever had.

“It’s just that… you see, for my Halloween costume I...but if it’s not okay with you never mind…”

Once again, Malleus was surprised at how specific Idia Shroud’s interests were. They were not like other humans he’d met in his life. There could’ve been at least a dozen other, more damning questions one could try to ask. Malleus had been raised to think that everything was a potential danger and all the questions he was asked were with the intention of bringing down the kingdom. Watching Idia Shroud be so far removed from everything he has been taught a human was, was a completely new experience for him.

“Oh, no, no. I do not mind in the slightest! Of course you can, dear Idia. But humour me. What’s so interesting about my armour?”

“I’m making one…for Halloween…” Idia gestured towards the mess on the floor on the other side of the room. “so, when I saw the real deal on you I was mind blown because it’s… like…a real-life, legit armour with all the actual moving parts and stuff!”

Malleus had never met a human this earnest in his life and the thought itself made his heart beat faster. It was precious for him to see how Idia would smile and gesture with his hands as he tried describing the armour parts he was most interested in, although he did not know their actual names. There was no malice, no hidden intentions behind his words, and Malleus felt he fell in love even more, if that was even possible at this point. Of course he would let him see it, as many times as he wished. When he’s better he’ll be sure to give Idia the best experience he could think of.

“I see. So, that’s what the black thing is.”

Idia was defeated by Malleus’ condescending tone. Feeling that Malleus was mocking him, Idia looked down at his feet as a distraction.

“Well maybe to you it’s a thing and sorry for not having armour-wearing experience like you but I never saw a real one and sorry it’s not up to your knightly and princely standards and…”

Idia was mumbling again, but just like that time in the courtyard, he was being defensive for no reason. Well, now when it was pointed out like that, calling Idia’s project a ‘thing’ was certainly rude. It was not his intention. So, he apologised and offered Idia his help, which Idia took without hesitation, but only after Idia was certain Malleus recovered.

“I could let you try it on, if you’d like.”

Idia’s jaw dropped. Him? Wear an armour? His heart trembled in excitement. He had always wanted to wear one but never had the chance.

“Wait…you would?! Seriously?”

“It’s the least I could do.”

What was supposed to be Idia’s squeal was interrupted by Ortho checking in from the school corridor. Idia’s heart fluttered, but for a different reason. Him not just looking at, but actually wearing a real armour? It would be more than cool. He could actually feel like Pumpkin Knight for a day. Idia was too preoccupied in his daydream to notice Malleus was sulking again, until he was interrupted by a sad sigh. Idia looked at the same screen Malleus was glued to and saw that there was no one around the research society. Idia’s heart hurt for Malleus. He remembered how happy he was when Idia showed up at his door one day and how passionate he was when he spoke about his research. Although it was a pretty niche research society, to think that there was only one member made it all the sadder. Idia contemplated joining, but it was the outside activities part that made him reconsider.

Idia’s train of thoughts was interrupted by a familiar loud voice and Malleus asking how he could speak through the tablet. Idia turned the microphone on for him and tried not to listen to the conversation, but the inquiring voice of Sebek Zigvolt was too loud to avoid completely. He was talking to Ortho prior and was demanding of the Shrouds to tell him any information about Malleus they knew, because Ortho wouldn’t just be loitering around the Gargoyle Research Society for no reason. He had a point, but Ortho had to keep a secret of Malleus being with them. According to Sebek, him and Silver had been looking for the young lord but he was nowhere to be found for days. Ortho was trying to change the topic but the two were adamant and were close to getting into a fight with Ortho. He was saved by the tablet finally activating and out of it, Malleus’ voice came, to the absolute shock of the two Diasomnia students.

“Silver, Sebek, I am sorry to have worried you. I am alright. We shall meet soon enough.”

Sebek was wailing and Malleus saw the tablet shift as Ortho leaned in to tap him on the back as consolation.

“Lord Malleus, where are you?” asked Sebek, to which Silver called him stupid and mentioned it was obvious he was in Ignihyde. Then the loud, mint-haired boy proclaimed they would come and ‘free’ him as soon as possible.

“I am not in danger. Know that I am in good hands.”

“Fath…Lilia said the same thing but neither Sebek nor I are convinced. Since your whereabouts have been confirmed, we shall be in Ignihyde shortly. Hold on tight.”

Malleus shouted ‘no’ as he jolted upright, but the two ran ahead, clearly ignoring his words. Malleus shook his head and put his head in his hands as he let out an exasperated whisper. ‘Not now…’. Luckily, Idia picked up on it and asked Ortho to chase after them and stop them at any cost, and make them listen to what Malleus had to say.

Ortho managed to corner the two students and then raised the tablet so they could clearly hear Malleus speak, this time with the camera on, per his own request.

“You two! I said I was fine. If you wish to visit, then do so tomorrow in a more appropriate time! I wish to rest.” Malleus looked over to Idia for confirmation to which he nodded, although reluctantly. It was Malleus’ right to have visitors and he didn’t necessarily have to be with them in the room, so all was good. He was feeling a bit sad for Malleus, because he was starting to see first-hand how stressed he was on a daily basis. The two protested unanimously and said they were coming over for a rescue mission, because apparently, he was being held hostage judging by the worn-out look.

“Could you two respect my wishes, at least once? I doubt that’s so hard, truly.”

Idia zoned out of the conversation they were having because it sounded taxing, and his own exhaustion was slowly creeping back. He couldn’t even imagine how it felt always being watched by someone. He remembered Malleus’ childhood story when he told him he wasn’t really allowed out much. At that time, Idia couldn’t fully grasp what Malleus was saying, because for him, being inside was the epitome of happiness. However, he was starting to see how different of an experience they had. It was of Idia’s own choosing to be alone, and the freedom of choice was what made it fun. For Malleus, though, it was ironic. He could have all the freedoms in the world, except for that one.

“Don’t you dare come over here right now. I will not forgive you if you do!”

Malleus’ exasperated shout echoed in the room and it startled Idia. He had never before heard him raise his voice and it sounded really menacing. Idia would never wish to be on the receiving end of that. The two seemed to have backed down with a string of apologies. Idia felt his chest tighten when he thought how much of a toll it was taking on Malleus so he just told him to disconnect. It wasn’t rage-quitting, it was protecting his sanity – a tactic Idia employed many times. Malleus nodded, his unmoving stare was the blankest one Idia’s ever seen so far and it scared him. Idia turned the tablet off in a matter of seconds and asked Ortho to diffuse the situation, but to not let them come here under no circumstances. Was this…husk in front of his eyes the same expressive Malleus he knew? His chest was rising up and down as he bit down on his lip until it drew blood. Idia grabbed a tissue from the desk and sat next to Malleus on the bed, pressing on the bleeding wound until Malleus touched Idia’s hand and took it in his. Idia didn’t protest. If that’s what would help Malleus get better, then so be it. His touch was very warm and Idia wanted to check his temperature, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.

“I didn’t mean to…”

Once again, Malleus looked like he was going to cry. Lilia’s words echoed in his head. _He is moody when he is ill._ No, it’s not that. Definitely not. This Malleus in front of him is the image of someone who is struggling to have control over their life as is, and the illness just made everything even harder. Idia has seen this back home many times. So, he offered words of consolation.

“Hey…it’s okay. Your needs are a priority. You did the right thing.”

Idia didn’t know what to do, so he just sat there next to him, unmoving. Malleus leaned in to hug the arm Idia propped himself on the bed with . Idia reflexively moved his hair to the other side, but it was already tied. This would’ve been so nice under different circumstances.

Malleus was happy for Idia being by his side, but also hated that he was showing weakness in front of him. More importantly, he was frustrated at how easy it was for him to allow to be agitated that much by those two.

“I know they mean well, but I…”

“Sometimes those who mean well can do much harm.”

Malleus just nodded and hugged Idia’s arm tighter. Idia stayed still as his mind was racing. Idia hadn’t had this much physical touch in years. They were on the same bed, and he was supporting Malleus’ head with his shoulder. He didn’t dare touch it and stroke it in soothing pats, although he wished he could. The entirety of this day was surreal, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Ortho came back not soon after and Malleus, taking it as a cue, moved away from Idia and lay back down on the bed, however, he winced as he did so. He lied to Idia that he wasn’t in pain, but that he remembered some painful memories. The latter was the truth. He hoped Idia believed all of it. He just saw him give him new medicine, so he didn’t want to bother him. It seemed he did because he moved to his desk. Malleus could not explain it, but the sudden absence of Idia stirred something in him and he couldn’t explain why his chest felt like it was being crushed. Malleus covered his eyes with his hands to hide the annoying tears from making an ungraceful appearance and he pressed so hard that stars and patterns were showing at the back of his head. He then heard Ortho Shroud mentioning something about emotional distress and Malleus felt shame for being exposed like this. It was short-lived because all the shame he may have felt dissipated the moment he felt the little Shroud wrap his arms around him. His tears slowly subsided and he took another tissue from Idia. Malleus did not mind physical touch, but this was not what he expected, so, he inquired what Ortho was doing.

“Neurotransmitters related to sadness elevated. Commencing treatment. Initiating protocol 2.5. Applying compassion and physical reassurance.”

Malleus meekly smiled at Ortho’s words. It was really sweet of him, but the mechanic way he said it was really amusing. He really came to love this child with all his heart and also had to admit he was a little envious of Idia for having such a darling for a brother with him at all times.

“You will be alright, Malleus Draconia. There, there.” He said as he repeatedly patted Malleus on the head.

It was all new for Malleus because he rarely ever let anyone get their hands this close to his head, more precisely his horns. Now when he thought about it, it was something he had in common with Idia. It wasn’t as if he hated being touched. Rather, it was the notion he was being treated like a specimen of sorts that made him wary.

Little Shroud’s touch didn’t feel intrusive. Malleus hugged Ortho back. Allowing himself to be hugged like this by someone this small brought back nostalgic memories. Little Silver would run to Malleus with his arms ready for a hug and ask to be picked up every time he saw him, thinking that ruffling Malleus’ hair until it became an irreparable mess was the best form of entertainment in the world.

Idia was observing from the chair, his eyes wide in awe. Opening a note on his computer, he started writing down notes. He remembered the note he took two days ago on Ortho developing compassion for others and figured it was the moment he wrote his thoughts down and elaborated on them. He felt guilty for not consoling Malleus, but this was such a massive breakthrough, and he mustn’t let his observations go away.

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After finishing the last of his notes Idia remembered that there was another assignment he ought to help with. He turned to Malleus, although a little reluctantly because he felt it would be awkward after what just happened. He reprimanded himself that he ought to have done something. But what? What do you do at times like that? Ortho was much more adept at handling…emotional stuff than he was, and he knew that he would be of no help. He stuttered as he asked Malleus if he were alright.

“Oh, do not worry, Idia. I have bouts of melancholy from time to time, so do not concern yourself with it. It will pass.”

“If there’s something I can do…”

“You can hug me to make me feel better.”

Idia went an even paler shade of white. He quickly diverted his gaze down to his feet. _Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. He’s just joking. Nobody actually wants a hug from someone like you. It would be nice though_ … _NO. Stop it. But what if really…NO! Remember what happened the last time you hugged someone. But he’s really warm, AND he obviously needs a hug. STOP IT!_

“Well?”

Idia felt the seam on his sleeve rip. He didn’t even realise he was biting it and he cursed for having to fix it again later. He was still looking down at his socks and practicing in his head the sentence to change the topic with. Hug Malleus? Someone like him couldn’t possibly do that. Not now, not ever. Not in a million years.

If he gets close like that Malleus will just **know** how _deranged_ he was and what kind of thoughts he harbours in his head and then he’ll leave him from sheer disgust. That was the worst possible ending. He will choose a different route. A safer one.

Finally managing to utter his conversation changer, Idia sat at his desk and tried to keep his facial expression as blank as possible. _You’ve been smiling quite a lot recently. What’s up with that?_

If he showed no emotions maybe he would stop feeling them eventually. It was much better that way for both.

“So, do you know what you want to say for the essay?”

Malleus groaned at the sudden change of attitude he noticed in Idia. Why was he so gloomy and distant all of a sudden? Is it all of a sudden? Was Malleus a fool? Did he desperately believe that Idia felt the same way but was just hiding it and didn’t want to accept the opposite so much that he looked for something that wasn’t there to begin with and constructed his own narrative? It wouldn’t be the first time to deceive himself like this. Feeling his heart ache, Malleus covered his eyes, this time pressing so hard that even the stars in the back of his head dispersed into darkness. However, that didn’t help. The tears were uncontrollably falling down his cheeks and he wiped them with his sleeve, hoping to keep them out of sight. This can’t be happening to him. Not again. Not here. He was so tired and just wanted…someone to hold him close and pat him on the head and that someone to be Idia and to tell him he was loved. With a sigh, he said everything was pointless and pulled the fluffy blanket over his head as he slid down in a lying position.

“I give up.”

Idia observed Malleus withdraw and he got worried for a second. His first guess was that it was the accumulated school-related stress, so, he tried to diffuse the situation.

“What do you mean, you give up? We can write it together in less than an hour. Easy. Come on, Mr Malleus. You can do it. It’s just Trein. I have this amazing text-to-speech function that will blow your mind.”

Malleus felt worse. Was Idia being dense on purpose just to mock him? Malleus did not want to believe that, and yet it was all he could see right now. Why would he say ‘not in a million years’ out loud? His world was getting greyer and it was shrinking around him and swallowing him whole. He wanted those dagger-like words to stop echoing in his head.

“Just give me something to put me to sleep until morning and leave me be.”

Idia sat there, dumbfounded. Malleus’ voice cracked. The sudden realisation that Malleus was quietly crying under the blankets hit Idia harder than it should and he rushed to the bed from his chair. It wasn’t about the damn assignment and Idia felt like the worst scum that walked this earth. Malleus wanting a hug wasn’t a joke, and even he would understand that. So, now, while Idia took his sweet time to get his act together and be a decent human being, he managed to hurt Malleus in the process. He truly was scum. But…maybe, it wasn’t too late. Would it be alright to touch Malleus while he was this vulnerable? Or would this be too opportunistic?

He looked at Ortho for guidance, but felt his hopes go down when he also seemed to be mad at him. He looked at the frowning Ortho who, quite vigorously gestured at Malleus. He was still uncertain he should even be touching someone like Malleus. Ortho did it again, this time wrapping his arms around him so his brother would understand.

What should he do now? Hug Malleus? Would that actually make him feel better? Even if it came from someone disgusting like Idia was? Ortho was gesturing, now even more vehemently to Idia to hurry up. This whole situation was paradoxical. He hurt Malleus by doing what he thought would spare him from hurt. A gnawing thought in his head was stopping him and it was a deterrent that overpowered all his previous arguments based on his low self-worth. He took a strand of his hair and showed it to Ortho as he hoped he would understand and let him be. He can’t. He was a cursed Shroud who physically wasn’t made for hugs. Ortho kept gesturing but Idia kept shaking his head. Finally, in all his frustration, Ortho texted his brother.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR HAIR! JUST HUG MALLEUS DRACONIA ALREADY!!!!!

Well, here goes. Idia shoved as much hair down his hoodie as he could. He trusted Ortho but wanted to be safe. Hesitantly, he put his hand on Malleus’ shoulder and left it there for a couple of seconds.

“Mr Malleus…don’t be like that.”

There was no reply from Malleus, but he didn’t push his hand away either, so, that was probably a good sign. This was his chance to restart from the checkpoint and do the mission right this time. Idia gently stroked his shoulder, hoping to get any kind of reaction from Malleus. Nothing. Did he fall asleep? He was just about to move away when he finally felt the bed shift.

Malleus turned towards Idia as he pushed the blanket away and sat up. His eyes were glistening with tears and his perfect lips quivered. Without a second thought, Malleus lunged at Idia and hugged him so tightly like his life depended on it. Idia’s first thought automatically went to his flaming hair out of habit. No matter how much he had hidden away, his front part was still in the open and it was brushing up against Malleus’ bare skin and it made Idia uneasy. The fae prince didn’t seem to care, in the slightest which was…odd. Well, since he wasn’t screaming in pain…yet, and there was no smell of burnt skin…also yet, Idia cautiously wrapped his hands around his waist after the shock subsided a little bit and leaned his head against Malleus’, although he did think the latter was pushing it. He then whispered a soft apology.

In this moment, everything went still. There was only static and his endless love for Malleus in his head. He was stupid to ever think he could kill off these intense emotions. Of course, he should be careful not to ever get addicted to the idea this was mutual. Malleus was just being sensitive because he was ill. The moment he gets his strength back all of this will cease to exist in the blink of an eye. Idia had so little time until then, but he will gather any of those fake droplets of feelings, to save for later to enjoy to the full extent of his _perverseness_ when all this is long gone. Going with it to the fullest, he dared to put his hand at the back of Malleus’ head, his fingers now running through the silky raven locks. Oh, how he wished he could hold him like this whenever he wanted. Idia closed his eyes and felt like he was falling.

For Malleus, this was a moment of great relief. It was, indeed, Idia who was holding him. Those ‘million years’ passed awfully fast. Malleus was frustrated with himself because he was always so quick to jump to conclusions and let them eat him up alive before considering the context. This would be his doom one day. With a calmer heart, he remembered how Idia would murmur things to himself and sometimes they slipped out. It must’ve been a sentence in a bigger context that he had no way of knowing. He also mumbled something along the lines of ‘my hair’ when he apologised. So, that was the issue. Ortho did tell him about it, but he wasn’t able to connect the two until now. Well, it was another lesson for him. Not wanting to focus on the negative for any longer than he should, Malleus let himself just be absorbed in the hug itself. Idia’s hands felt really strong, which was still a discrepancy for him. However, more importantly than that, these arms felt safe, like a loving home he would hurry to return to. Malleus was engulfed in Idia’s scent. It was oddly one of cinnamon and it was so intoxicating that it made him light-headed. Burying his head deeper in the nape of Idia’s neck, he felt like this was where he belonged all along and where he should stay forever. He felt a gentle hand find its way into his hair and the sensation of having his head stroked like that sent pleasant warm flushes down his spine. His heart was screaming ‘I love you’, but the time was not right for his lips to say the same. The cinnamon scent engulfing him was even stronger now, making his surroundings feel like a pleasant dream. His body was heavy, and the next moment he was already dreaming.

Neither of them dared to move. Idia still kept his eyes closed because he feared tears would fall out. How long has it been since he last let himself be hugged? Idia never would’ve thought that he would be having such a crude reaction to something. The slight tickling of Malleus’ hair on his cheeks and his breath on his neck felt magical. It was an odd comparison, since he was studying and analyzing magic and there was not much he thought as mysterious at this point. Regardless, this entire experience was new for him and he never realized how touch-starved he was until now. There was an occasional hug from Ortho here and there, but he never felt this weird before. He was happy that the person in his arms was Malleus, and he had to convince himself this wasn’t just another one of his dreams where Malleus was gentle and loving towards him. Idia felt…something intense and had he known better, he could’ve interpreted it as bliss. However, with the feeling lost on him, he just tried his best to remember the unknown sensation the best he could, so he could save it for the days to come when this is no longer available to him.

Idia lost track of time, so he wasn’t sure for how long they stayed like this. He tried breaking the hug, but Malleus wouldn’t move. He waited for a few more moments, but Malleus was still unmoving. Idia chuckled when he realized Malleus was actually sleeping. Idia slowly lay him down in bed and covered him with blankets. Malleus’ sleeping face was peaceful, although there seemed to have been a soft smirk on his lips this time. Happy for being able to see that face one more time in his life, Idia called for Ortho to do some health scans and moved back to his computer.

As he waited for the data to appear on the screen, he managed to send a very important email and collect his game bonuses before finally succumbing to his own exhaustion. The last thing he remembered was being coerced to sleep by Ortho and the lights of his room getting dimmer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading.  
> Comments are much appreciated 💙🖤
> 
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	23. Assignment

Nestled in his chair, Idia stared at one spot for what seemed to be hours and that one spot was Malleus Draconia’s sleeping face. In his defence, he was awoken by abnormal breathing sounds coming from Malleus and he couldn’t go back to sleep ever since. It was irrational, but it was a way to keep him sane he developed years ago with Ortho. He wanted to believe that if he kept watch over every single breath, nothing further would go wrong, so he did just that. His eyes closely followed every breath and every rise and fall of Malleus’ chest. After a while he found himself almost hypnotised by their steady rhythm, and, as he pressed hard on the soft skin between his thumb and his index finger to prevent himself from falling asleep again, he felt immense relief that nothing abnormal happened any further. That was good. That was safe. Nothing bad would happen as long as he kept watching, so he did.

A ridiculous thought only an idiot in love could say went through his head – Malleus Draconia is beautiful when he breathes.

Idia finally became aware of the fact that he spent two hours doing nothing but watch Malleus Draconia sleep. It was, first of all, _creepy_ on his side, but also unheard of, because he was so used to multitasking that this behaviour in itself was strange. He was also spacing out more frequently, which was worrying for a multitude of reasons, but the main being the fact that he would probably have to go back home for a health check if this continued any longer. Just as he was about to overthink and dread going back home, he was interrupted by CERBERUS notifying him it was almost time to log in to his class. It was a divination seminar taught by Trein’s teaching assistant, whose name Idia couldn’t remember, but who was kind enough to let him take classes remotely. It was also time for Ortho to wake up as well. But, before that, he allowed himself some down time to pick up his daily gacha bonuses, and to feed the two Gao Gaos that were left on his table, Malleus’ and his own. As he did that, he started making plans for Ortho’s next big maintenance. He finally managed to finish his uncle’s bionics book the other day and although boring, it gave him some valuable input. Had they not had a big falling out over research-related matters last time he went back home, calling to ask for unclear details was not an option, so he had to work through the inconsistencies himself, which he managed to do when he had some downtime and when Malleus Draconia wasn’t falling apart right in front of his eyes due to some eerie fae torture magic. He texted Azul to check when he was available. He had no one else to ask but him. He also hoped he could get Azul to get the Ramshackle dorm prefect on board. Idia couldn’t care less about their existence, but whenever they went, Grim would follow, and the prospect of touching his soft fluffy fur gave him a reason to live.

He suddenly remembered their family cat. Ghastly, yellow-eyed and hairless, Thesa was fitting for the Shrouds. Frightening to everybody outside the family, it was a fierce protector of the next generation of cursed creatures. Whoever broke into their family home and took Idia hostage when he was twelve must’ve been so surprised when he saw a large, rage-filled ball clawing at their face. It was a shame what happened to her afterwards, and Idia couldn’t help but think how his very existence caused so much unnecessary death and suffering to everyone around him. The sight of his beloved pet dying to protect him was the sole reason he didn’t have a familiar here at school. It was allowed but he never could move on from Thesa’s death. The only good thing about that incident was that they were quickly able to identify the attacker by the claw marks on their face, although the mastermind was never found.

He spaced out again. It was, indeed, strange.

Speaking of maintenance, he couldn’t help but think about that _other_ part that he has postponed working on for as long as he installed it. The bane of his existence and the only part of Ortho Idia had no clue on how it actually worked.

The circuits around it were hypersensitive, and if he tried to do anything to it he would be attacked by Ortho’s self-defence system regardless of how many security codes he had input to override it. But, the original hardware deserved to be upgraded. This conundrum didn’t seem that it would be solved any time soon. His thoughts were interrupted by the ever so lively Ortho who was happy that Malleus was getting better, according to his readings. He then went for his morning prowl, but not before reprimanding his brother on not going to class again. Moments later, he had his food brought to him, and he transferred him this week’s money for the part-time job. Meto was his name, he had some sort of an unhealthy admiration towards the Shrouds and was completely willing to work for free, but that just wasn’t right. On the bright side, he wasn’t as creepy towards Idia as the rest of his dorm mates, so he was about the only one he could safely let inside his room…when Malleus Draconia wasn’t in it. So, taking the tray from him at the door, he slumped down at his desk.

Munching away on a tasteless, sandwich-like thing filled with…something, he barely listened to the seminar and focused all his attention on the CAD program where he finally started drawing the first version of the retina, but also made sure to check Malleus’ vitals every once in a while. Ortho came back not soon after and joined in the design process as he was telling him about the things he saw during his prowl. Ortho always wanted to be involved in his designs, and it also meant that he could get to spend more time with brother and create more memories.

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Malleus woke up around noon, looking somewhat refreshed. Idia was glad because he would recover the more sleep he got, according to his estimates. Idia couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off his face for some reason, but somehow Malleus didn’t look at him with disgust like everyone else did. He even smiled back.

The lovely fae prince asked what day it was, and almost entered a state of frenzy when he realised the deadline has passed.

“Slow down, Mr Malleus. It’s okay. Calm down. Okay? Let me check your health status first.”

Idia leaned in and although he had no reason to, put his hand on Malleus’ forehead. He already knew his temperature well in advance, but he couldn’t help himself. He was a _pervert_ who would use any chance available to touch Malleus Draconia anyways. Ok, so, that was a stretch, he wasn’t that bad, but still.

“Pain level?”

“Zero.”

Idia almost jumped from joy, smiling wider than a second ago. Did this mean he actually did something right?

“Are you serious? Not even a ‘one’? Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Malleus smiled back at Idia’s reaction. He was cared for and it filled his heart with warmth. He didn’t miss the fraction of a second where Idia was probably going to lean in for a hug but then stopped himself. He seemed to be doing that quite a lot, although Malleus was certain there was at least an inkling of affection in Idia for him. Maybe, with just a little bit more time, maybe they could even be together before Halloween. He must ask Lilia for proper advice this time on how to take things from now. Maybe he should make his move when Idia came to try on the armour. Oh, the possibilities were endless. He must practice the speech! He probably got too excited because Idia picked up on his irregular heartbeat, so, trying to divert the attention from it, he mentioned he was still worried about the assignment and hoped Idia believed him.

“Oh, speaking of which, you have until Sunday evening.”

“Please tell me you are joking.”

“No, I don’t think I am.”

Ah, there it was again. That precious head-tilt-to-smile was now accompanied by a few claps and if that wasn’t the sweetest sight Idia has ever seen in his life, than what else could be on par with that?

“Please explain?”

“The magic of sending emails, my friend.”

Malleus winced at the word ‘friend’ but Idia had such a proud look on his face that he easily got distracted by it. Idia had such an influence over him and he looked at him, taking in all the tiniest details of how his face moved when he spoke in such excitement.

“So, after you fell asleep last night I figured you would freak out and then just asked Trein. I used your email and I hope you don’t mind, and basically, he said he ‘understood the circumstances’ whatever that meant and, um…yeah.”

Idia handed Malleus his phone with the email open.

“I’m sorry for using your phone like this without asking but I…”

“Thank you, Idia, for saving my life, more than once.”

Idia burst out laughing and said Malleus didn’t have to sound so dramatic. Little did he know that Grandmother would not be so kind if she only caught wind that Malleus was slacking off.

Idia handed Malleus the same pack of ‘food’ and Malleus wondered where he took them out of. Idia was right when he said he would get bored of it easily, but it was not his place to complain about this. Malleus took his sweet time in drinking the slimy beverage with barely any taste to it. Idia, however, was already planning the essay, and Malleus wondered if he ever stopped just to eat or did he always do many things at once. Now when he thought of it he never actually saw Idia eat ever since he came here. Idia answered negatively to his question, listing that taking breaks were ‘a waste of time’, Malleus got his answer, although he did not like it because he figured it must have an enormous burden on the young human’s body. He remembered how he just crashed a few days ago. He wondered if he could use his magic on him when he gets better and get him to sleep. Which brought him to his next question.

“Say, Idia...”

Idia replied with a soft ‘mm?’ as he crouched down below his desk. Malleus couldn’t really see what he was doing, but it required lots of shifting around.

“I need your opinion on something.”

Idia peeked from below the desk, one hand on the metal box of drawers was supporting his weight. Malleus Draconia wanted to hear _his_ opinion?

“When can I use magic again?”

Idia stopped for a second.

“I don’t know. Depends.”

“On…?”

“Your previous history. Did you feel better or worse after using magic after stuff like this happened. If not then I guess…you could…but, no. Never mind. Better lay off it for a week, just to be safe.”

“So, you don’t know?”

“Well, to be fair, I’m already working with limited knowledge here so, expecting me to know anything but the primary response to your symptoms is a lost game, you know?”

Malleus lowered his gaze. He did not want to anger Idia, but he seemed to be preoccupied with whatever he was doing under the table and didn’t particularly seem all that shaken by anything Malleus said. Deciding to drop it for now, he announced that Silver and Sebek would like to come, to which Idia said he had no objections, after which he asked to go to the showers beforehand, and to borrow some of Idia’s clothes. There was a faint sound of Idia’s head hitting the top of his desk. He could get to see Malleus in a stupid shirt of his one more time and it gave Idia much joy. So, getting from below the desk, and responding quickly with an ‘I am fine’, Idia quickly went to his wardrobe and took out a couple of shirts and, one by one, placed them in front of Malleus, who burst out laughing.

“Is this all you wear?”

“Well, my apologies, Your Majesty, here at…”

“Don’t.”

Idia was confused at the sudden change of tone. Malleus, noticing Idia’s startled reaction, regretted coming off as too harsh, so, he reiterated, this time with a smile on his face.

“We are equals in this school, aren’t we?”

Idia couldn’t really understand the need for such an overt reaction but he managed to nod, although reluctantly. Why was every conversation with Malleus such an emotional roller-coaster?

“So, I would really appreciate if you didn’t use titles and such. It’s…annoying.”

Oh, so that’s what it was all about. Idia apologised because he meant it as a joke, which then turned into a short debate on different types of human humour. In the end, the issue was resolved. There were two things to be taken from this. Fae found human ways of joking strange, and also, this was the first time the two of them managed to sort something out through conversation. Idia was even starting to get his hopes up he could be a functional member of society if he kept this up. He wondered if the lesson he learned today would come up the next time his mind would so graciously lead him down the path of self-destruction.

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With nothing better to do while Malleus was busy with his inner circle, Idia waited to call for a dorm meeting, but most of the students were in class. Ortho was with him, so it may have been a good opportunity to go to the tech lab and continue designing the retina.

“I think you should rest, brother.”

“In the lounge?”

Ortho nodded.

“No…I don’t think so.”

“No one’s here. Besides, I’m here. You’re safe.”

“I’m fine, Ortho. Do you want to play something?”

“Stop trying to distract me. You haven’t been taking good care of yourself, brother. Your scans are…distorted.”

“Hey, don’t just go on about scanning me like that.”

“I wonder what mother would say if she knew…”

“Knew what?”

“The data I’m about to transfer to her in a second.”

“You wouldn’t!”

Idia tried pleading with him with a promise he would do better.

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Idia briefly met with Silver and Sebek on their way out of the lounge, but Lilia was not with them. Did he stay behind? He bid farewell to his guests and Ortho left with them because they invited him to play Magift. Idia slowly approached his room door and peaked inside, but Lilia was nowhere to be found. Malleus was playing with his Gao Gao, and the face of pure focus he had was worth all the treasures in the world. So, like a _creep_ that he was, he stood outside his room door, watching Malleus. It was absurd. It was his own room and he had the right to enter whenever he wanted. And yet, he felt it would be inappropriate. That he would be intruding somehow. He slowly heard students come back from their classes and Idia was in no mood to meet any of them, especially not the same third-years. He entered his room and shut the door behind, causing Malleus to look his way. Idia looked around the room, but Lilia was still nowhere to be around. Ah, right. Lilia would turn into a swarm of bats and disappear. He didn’t need to use doors.

“So…Mr Malleus…do you have an idea on what you want to say in your essay? Would you like me to brainstorm with you for a bit? Are you tired?”

“I am alright. I appreciate the sentiment, dear Idia, but you don’t need to fuss over me this much.”

Idia eyed Malleus down, doing it as conspicuously as he could in an attempt to get his message across.

“I kind of do.”

Malleus laughed in defeat. Idia was right. But he did not wish to cause even more trouble so he just thanked Idia and confirmed that nothing was currently wrong with him and that he would let him know the moment anything changed. Idia, on the other hand, was still stuck on the fact that, once again, _dear_ was attached to his name. Idia felt a tingle in his chest. He would never get used to being called like that, but on the other hand it felt so special and sweet. Was it, though? It was probably just a formality. There’s no one in their right mind in this world who would ever truly think of him as ‘dear’ and he should stop it with making unrealistic scenarios in his head.

“Idia…are you alright?”

Oh, just fine, perfect. It’s just that my brain mistakes any decency for romantic attraction and then I let it eat me up alive because of how _alone_ I am but it’s all good.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah. So…the assignment.”

The two of them engaged in a brainstorming process and Malleus was surprised at how fast it went with Idia’s help. This was just enough proof how wonderful this wonderful human being was, and Malleus felt like he was flying as he was being immersed in that lovely voice, and the smile that adorned his lips as he spoke of the things he truly enjoyed. Malleus mostly listened, although he would join the discussion from time to time after he finished writing some of his ideas on the paper Idia gave him. They also enjoyed in the physical closeness they were sharing, with Idia sitting on the bed next to him and not in his chair, which was not what Malleus expected. This made him a tad more motivated towards schoolwork. Maybe he could ask Idia to study together for exams after Halloween is over…

“I know what I am going to say. All that’s left is for me to write it.” With a sigh, Malleus announced that it would probably take him a few hours and that he would like to borrow Idia’s desk.

Idia laughed, although Malleus did not know why. Sometimes, Idia was too hard to read. There was confidence in Idia’s voice when he mentioned a ‘plan’ and ‘his time to shine’, so Malleus just enjoyed himself as the embodiment of focus he so loved on Idia Shroud came back.

“Mr Malleus, I would like you to write ‘Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow’ on a new sheet of paper, as you normally would. Once in full uppercase, once in a sentence case, once with every first letter capitalized and once in lowercase.”

“Alright…but, why?”

“You’ll see.” Idia’s asymmetric grin showed and Malleus knew he would show him something great. He asked Idia to repeat the interesting sentence, which he gladly did, but he asked for the reason.

“Simple. It’s much cooler than that stupid ‘The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’ that every normie wannabe designer loves to use which I despise by the way because it is so generic and…besides mine is cooler and…yeah, sorry. I completely went off… Here.”

Idia handed Malleus a new clipboard with a translucent looking paper and averted his gaze when he felt their hands touching. Malleus, on the other hand, made them touch on purpose. He wondered what had changed in Idia since they watched that first _Overblow_ film together. Last time, he had no issue with holding hands, and now, he was wary of the slightest touch. Humans were indeed strange.

“Don’t apologise. I like hearing you speak.”

Idia glanced away, obviously startled by the remark. Hearing that one would be the first, but to hear it from Malleus…no, he should not be even thinking about that. He was just a nice person and didn’t mean anything deep by it. Idia secretly hoped that he did.

After a few moments of writing, double-checking and enjoying the way Idia’s lips curled when he said that peculiar sentence over and over again, Malleus handed the paper back.

It wasn’t Idia’s first time to receive something in Malleus’ handwriting, but he was stunned nonetheless, because Malleus’ handwriting was immaculate and, although analogue, it was very beautiful to look at. He was also glad he could make an entire font and keep it as data. Maybe he should write a love letter to himself with it just to see how it would feel receiving one. _You just went way too far with that_.

“Ok, so, the next step is to say your thoughts when I give you the mark. You can say whatever you want but try to structure it like an essay as you speak. Can you do that?”

“I think so. But, Idia, what are you doing exactly?”

“Text-to-speech. It’s pretty neat. I’ll be over here, so when you finish do gesture this way.”

Idia finally moved back to the desk.

“Ready?”

Malleus nodded and a beep was heard. Idia put his headphones not soon after and focused on Malleus’ handwriting, but he did steal a couple of glances in his direction and every time he would see Malleus put his hand on his chin, or where he would move his hair to the side his heart would jump. He managed to finish the entire font set in less than 40 minutes so he turned on Magitube and waited for Malleus to finish. Ortho came back at some point and put the tablet he was carrying on the charging station and then took a broken projector from one of the video-labs and started doing diagnostics as he sent them to one of Idia’s screens.

Not soon after, Idia felt a soft touch on his hand which sent shivers down his spine. Taking the headphones off, he saw pride written all over Malleus’ face, and it was a beautiful sight. Not a moment later, he had a full, eleven-page text in front of him. Malleus was looking at it in awe. His essay that he just said to a machine was in his hands. It was printed in block letters, but Idia told him it was the first draft and that Malleus should edit it as much as he wanted.

“But before that, here.”

Idia handed him another medical supplement bag.

“Oh, is it dinner time already? Thank you.”

Idia nodded and turned back to his computer. Ortho’s diagnostics needed to be checked, so he could use the time to get that out of the way. Other than that, he felt Malleus’ intense stare on him, so he turned back, ‘what’ visibly written on his face.

“Won’t you be joining me? You haven’t eaten either…right?”

Idia was about to say he just did but he realised the last time he had a proper meal was this morning. How could he have forgotten? This wasn’t a good sign. He tried remembering if he had something in between, but nothing came up. Everything felt strange recently, like he wasn’t truly present. He would definitely have to go back home. Mother would always tell him to be mindful while eating but that was the one habit he never picked up and frankly, this time mindfulness had nothing to do with this. He looked at his smart watch for his daily nutritional data but got no relief whatsoever. This was really bad. Mother would have his head if she knew. Not only did he slip up again and went off the schedule her and a team of doctors had specifically made for him, but this also meant that, even if he had dinner now he would go into a calorie deficit by the end of the day even if he tried to compensate with other supplements. He did the same thing yesterday too, and three days ago as well. And to think he had finally gotten into a habit of eating properly just to fail everyone who got involved in the meal plan didn’t make him feel any better. But, there was still time. Malleus was there, and Idia did not want to show how abnormal he truly was.

“Right. Wait a sec.”

Idia took his phone and he finally replied to the string of worried messages from Meto. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Idia only slightly opened them and took a food tray from someone who pleaded with him to take better care of his health. Malleus didn’t like the tone in their voice, but he said nothing, as it was not his place. Idia walked back to his seat and smiled the moment their eyes met. Malleus, probably for the first time in his life, looked away because he felt like his blushing face was too embarrassing, although he did enjoy this more relaxed version of Idia.

Malleus looked at the food Idia placed on the desk and was surprised it was a real, healthy-looking meal. Idia Shroud seemed like the last person who would have such a diet. Besides, the only things he’s seen him eat were things from the Mostro. Malleus chuckled.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about how unfair all this was. You get all that delicious-looking food, and I am eating apple-flavoured gelatine.” Idia’s smile was gone and he started explaining in an apologetic tone.

“It’s not…Listen, it’s only… it’s not safe for you to eat solid foods yet and…you know. I…”

There was a brief pause.

“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. I’ll eat somewhere else and come back.”

Idia was about to get up, but he felt Malleus’ hand on his arm and he froze in place.

“Now, that’s just silly, isn’t it? I am just teasing you. Besides, I am grateful for everything you’re doing for me, food included. Maybe, when I get better, we could have a proper meal together?”

Idia was silent for a moment and was looking at a spot on his plate. What does that even mean? His head started filling with bad scenarios of the times he actually went out to eat and he felt his anxiety creep up on him. He can’t do it. Just thinking about it made his stomach tie up in a knot.

“Like…outside and stuff?”

Malleus could sense the tension in Idia’s voice. He could see Idia’s face fill up with fear and it saddened him because it was not his intention to cause Idia to feel anguish over something as simple as that.

“I only said a proper meal…” Malleus shook the supplement bag. “We don’t have to go outside, if that is what worries you. I could cook for you, if you’d like.”

“Wait…like, a… **date**?”

Idia was in a slight state of shock over what he just said, and his hand covered his mouth slightly in fear that he would let something else as unnecessary slip out and make a fool of himself.

“Well, I do not have one in mind yet, but, after I’m well, you can choose any date you would like. I will keep my schedule open for you.”

Oh, bless Malleus for not being completely in tune with human dating practices. This has saved Idia lots of embarrassment. Once again, he had to remind himself that they are just friends before he got any hopes up for the millionth time this week.

“Yeah…definitely. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

The conversation slowly shifted to Idia’s eating habits.

“I am curious, though. I expected you to…”

Malleus awkwardly gestured towards his tray because he did not know how to explain.

“Eat junk food every day?”

Malleus nodded and apologised for coming off as judgmental.

“Oh, not at all. You’d think it goes with this lifestyle. It does. It definitely does. But, not for me. I know it’s weird...”

Then he proceeded to explain that he did use to eat junk food when he first enrolled but that he soon realised that it had a negative impact on his gaming performance. His keyboard would get dirty, but more importantly, he would always be hungry, so he would have to take more breaks which turned out to be less productive. Well, the truth was much more sinister, but this was easier to explain, and it was true to an extent.

“I had a specialist make me a custom menu that would optimize my performance and I stick to it…for the most part.”

Malleus nodded in awe as Idia explained calories and macronutrients to him. He had never thought of food in such a way and was intrigued how you could make a science out of everything. He wondered if there was such a diet that he could introduce in the Valley for the war orphans and the poor he’s been helping recently, and whose numbers were getting bigger by the day. Another pointless military exercise has depleted the food banks again, so his charity was also underfunded. Problems kept piling up and the more he thought about it the worse he felt. Idia noticed Malleus’ mood change and asked about it. A tiny fraction of him was proud that he’s become able to read subtle nuances in others.

“Oh, do not worry. I just remembered something back home. It is tiring, and I would rather not talk about it now, but maybe some day I would appreciate if I could ask you for guidance.”

“Oooh, so official” Idia retorted as he took another bite.

They both laughed, and the moment they shared was truly precious and probably one of those that could never be replicated ever again.

Ortho came back, all covered in dirt, but it never stopped him from jumping into Idia’s arms and almost tackling Idia to the ground from the chair, as he greeted him as loud as he could.

“Ortho, look at you! You’re absolutely filthy! What did you DO? Never mind. Maintenance. Now.”

“I don’t want to.”

Ortho curled his hands into fists, protesting everything Idia would say to him.

“Ortho…”

“No!”

Idia glanced over to Malleus and apologised as he continued arguing with his baby brother. Malleus was finally able to witness Idia Shroud in a family setting and this was all so amusing to him. There was something Lilia-like in Idia’s behaviour and he remembered the same episode with Silver and couldn’t help but laugh at the similarity.

“I don’t want to!!!”

Idia kneeled down to Ortho’s eye level.

“Little Owl, having dirt and whatnot stuck in your joints is dangerous. You know that, don’t you.”

Ortho nodded and looked down, almost looking like he was embarrassed.

“That’s why I want you to do maintenance. Do you understand?”

“But it takes so long and I want to play with Malleus Draconia **now**. Maintenance can wait!”

Malleus wanted to offer help, but he doubted Idia would let him move at all, and besides, he didn’t know if he would ever be of any help to the Shrouds, so he just kept watching.

“Well, how about you do a very very short one, and I promise we are going to finish Mr Malleus’ assignment and then…we can watch something of your choosing? How does that sound?”

“Really? You would?!”

Idia looked over at Malleus, who also just nodded, after which Ortho squealed and began the maintenance.

Ortho then opened a closet on the far end of the room and and took out a body which he placed into the blue cylinder contraption. Then he operated the grey console nearby and, as if by some magic, the Ortho inside came to life as the one outside shut down. He seemed to have switched bodies and was now putting the lifeless body in the blue pod. He repeated the same action the second ago, typing something on the console, and then the top part of the contraption started moving up and down slowly. Finally, Malleus realised what its use was. It was, so to speak, Ortho’s nest. Fitting, for a…little owl. Finding out such details about the Shroud brothers made Malleus really happy.

Idia figured how this must be weird for Malleus so he tried apologising.

“This must be creepy for you…I’m so sorry…I…”

“Fascinating.”

“Excuse me?”

“The word you’re looking for is ‘fascinating’.”

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Malleus was giving Idia instructions on what he would like to keep, what he would rewrite or delete, and about general formatting. One day, he might even learn to use the computer for writing. Although it seemed scary, it was also practical at the same time. Idia would also chime in with suggestions from time to time. When Idia was satisfied with the amount of editing they both did, he excused himself for a moment and told him to wait for the magic.

Ortho and Malleus were left alone, so, as always, they would engage in conversation.

“I am sorry for causing you trouble, little one. I know how important your evening time with your brother is to you.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Malleus Draconia. Brother and I love having you here.”

Ortho smiled at him as he said he would do a short scan. Malleus stayed still but Ortho said there was no need for that.

“You will still come over every evening when you get better, won’t you?”

Malleus was reluctant to reply. He had burdened the Shrouds for far too long, and to ask for more of their time would be selfish and inappropriate. He was about to answer but was cut off by Ortho.

“Brother would be sad if you didn’t. And so would I.”

When you get better we can do more fun stuff. I want to go and look at gargoyles. I’ll make brother come too. Force him outside if I have to.”

Malleus laughed and gladly accepted the offer.

“Well then, I must prepare to show you only the best gargoyles this college has to offer!”

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Idia came back to a lovely scene where Ortho and Malleus were playing with Gao Gaos and laughing.

“Sorry to interrupt, but…”

Idia then handed Malleus a bunch of magical paper. Malleus was really surprised. It was the essay he wrote by saying it to a machine, that was now printed in his own handwriting. This was both fascinating and frightening at the same time. He wondered if he could get this technology to use for writing letters back home. He asked Idia how it worked. Malleus was astounded the more he listened to Idia’s explanation. He truly went out of his way to make such a device just so he wouldn’t have to write his assignments by hand. Although Malleus would oftentimes praise things like this as human ingenuity, something as specific as this was, put simply – Shroud ingenuity was nowhere to be found in other humans.

“Could you make me one? I am willing to pay you as much as you want.”

Idia chuckled. Malleus felt a little embarrassed because he was certain Idia doubted his need of one such device.

“Doing my duties would make it so much easier, you see. Official correspondence, and similar things.”

“You can always come here and print it out.

_Desperate._

“Thank you for the offer, but I couldn’t. Much of my correspondence is strictly confidential.”

“I see…well, I think something can be done about it. It IS just a regular printer running on magical ink, after all. Give me two days from today and you’ll have one too.”

“Two…two?!”

“It would usually take me less than one but there are no second-hand printers in the dorm at the moment so I’d have to order one…and…yeah…”

“Wait, wait. Two days? To make it from scratch?”

“Well, not from scratch, obviously, but there are some minor adjustments for the ink distribution. Magical ink is much thicker than printer ink so if I don’t replace the bleed it clogs and breaks down. But it’s really no big deal for me.”

“I bet. Name any price you want.”

This could’ve been the perfect chance to ask Malleus out, but, he stopped because that would be exploitative. The worst thing was that he knew Malleus would not say no. But then, it could also mean that he accepted out of obligation and he didn’t want to fool himself in that way. He also didn’t want compensation of any kind, but Malleus was adamant, so, in the end he gave in and let him pay for the printer itself.

“So…excuse me, you two, but, are you done?” came Ortho’s annoyed voice and drew attention to himself.

“You are done, aren’t you? Now we can watch _City Streets!_ ”

Idia wondered why his brother would choose something as sappy as that, but he promised his baby brother he could choose whatever he wanted, so, he had no right to complain.

The two quickly set up the projector and Idia was just about to sit on his chair when Ortho moved his chair to the other side of the room.

“Where am I supposed to sit, Ortho?”

“I don’t know, but if it stays there Malleus Draconia wouldn’t be able to see. Sit next to each other or something!”

Ortho was behaving weird, but Idia didn’t say a word. He was too focused on the film that he ignored everything else. So, having no other choice, Idia slowly sat on the bed, although on the other side so he wouldn’t bother Malleus.

“I thought humans watched films side by side.”

Malleus tapped the bed in front of him and Idia thought his heart would stop. Contrary to his best efforts, his body seemed to have moved on its own and he scooted over to Malleus.

Half way into the film, Idia felt a head fall on his shoulder. Idia smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised I haven’t uploaded a new chapter in a month and I’m really sorry you guys but I was struggling with structuring the story from now and I don’t know why but this one and the next would be the ones I struggled with the most. To be fair, I wasn’t just slacking off and I tried working through my ‘writer’s block’ (as pretentious as it sounds for a fanfiction writer), but here it is. I hope you’ll like it.
> 
> I also made an instagram to compensate for the obvious lack of Idia/Malleus content. I post my Idia and Malleus plushies having the time of their lives because I’m five, apparently, so if you’re curious, check it out:
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/draconia_shroud/


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